cee aN , V , we \ “ é t . 7 _! } " XY _ _ S, . ’ ~“ < t a 7 ve + & > ON 3 x . - eh ‘ | EBROOREAVENS| SENS Be LABORAURY y write Ake Ix \, LN . ; ' s . } “aN . ‘ . ne \ BROOKE A, 0K, AS Meg a Ne? VAL - Pry!™, TO LA Ne NP OR Vv ‘ ASSOCIATED UNIVERSITIES, INC. | UPTON, NEW YORK 11973 Of Aa ! “ ANGADL _ PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE FOR RELEASE: CONTACT: Tel: (516) 924-6262 Ext: 435 Norb Dernbach BROOKHAVEN TEAM REPORTS ON 1968 EXAMINATION g OF MARSHALLESE EXPOSED TO FALLOUT IN 1954 ‘Upton, N.Y., May 24, 1968--Dr. Robert A. Conard (MD), head of the Brookhaven Netional Laboratory medical team that conducts the annual examination of the Marshall Islanders who were exposed to fallout from a 1954 Bikini bomb test, reported two new cases of thyroid abnormalities (in the form of nodules) in the group who were under ten years of age when exposed on Rongelap, the atoll nearest the test site. There were 19 children under ten exposed to the fallout, of which 17 have now developed thyroid nodules. These patients are currently 15 to 24 years old. An unexpected wind shift during the 1954 test carried the fallout from Bikini at the western end of the Marshall Islands back over several islands located east of Bikini. Nearest and most heavily exposed were 64 Marshallese at Rongelap. There were 18 Marshallese at Ailingnae and 157 at Utirik receiving a much lesser ex-posure. ‘These people are examined on a regular schedule. To provide a comparison with the exposed populace, a control group of 194 unexposed Marshallese is also examined, but on a less frequent schedule. The selection of age 10 at the time of fallout exposure as a group designation did not occur until a few years ago, and was done primarily as the result of a Statisticai observation. According to Dr. Conard, the reason these children show- ed a higher incidence of thyroid abnormalities is probably because their thyroid glands were smaller and received a larger comparative radiation dose. The estimated dose to the thyroid in the 19 children under 10 years of age on Rongelap was from 875 to 1575 rads, with 90 percent of them developing thyroid abnormalities. For the 45 Rongelap people greater than 10 years of age at exposure time, the thyroid dose was estimated at 335 rads, with 5.5 percent developing thyroid abnormalities. Six children under 10 years of age on Ailingnae and 40 children on Utirik received thyroid doses from 230 to 725 rads, with no development of any abnormalities. The exposed aduit population had a much lower incidence oz thyroic abnormalities. . The term tad means radiation absorbed cose. A dose of one rad means the ab- sorption of 100 ergs of radiation energy per gram of absorbing materiai. (DPED/Dg lke (more)