A. eee K A0n2er7 L BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY CONTACT: UPTON, NEW YORK 11973 PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE SS =z a 8 Norb Dernbach Carl Thien 10/12/72) At AEC Headquarters 72-28 Mrs. Gail Bradshaw Day - 301-973-3446 Eve. & Weekends 301-973-1000 2. % z Immediate (Mailed “ EDA a 3" o£ (WV DOE/ PASO FOR RELEASE: Tel.: (516) 345-2345 Nights and Weekends: (516) 345-2123 s BROOKHAVEN MEDICAL TEAM REPORTS ON 1972 FINDINGS 8 AMONG MARSHALLESE EXPOSED TO FALLOUT IN 1954 ef 6 6 « 3s 4 2 8 § 6 Upton, N.Y. -- Dr. Robert A. Conard (MD) of Brookhaven National Laboratory, head of the medical team that recently returned from its annual examination of the Marshall Islanders exposed to fallout from a 1954 Bikini weapons test, has reported two new cases of thyroid nodules and one case of acute myelogenous leukemia. Two of the three were among those living on Rongelap Atoll in 1954, site of the heaviest fallout from the test. The third was exposed to fallout on Alingnae. The leukemia patient is a 19-year old male from Rongelap who had previously been operated on in 1968 in the United States for partial removal of his thyroid and has since been receiving thyroid hormone treatment. This is the first case of leukemia to be found in the exposed population. The young man's leukemia was suspected following a routine blood examination by the medical team. He returned to the United States with the medical team, arriving at the Brookhaven National Laboratory Medical Center on Friday, September 30, where the initial diagnosis was made. Last week he was moved to the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center for further aa tests. aa He will be treated by a team of leukemia specialists. _ ov Following a biopsy on October 10, 1972, the diagnosis was confirmed. The two new cases of thyroid nodules involve an 18-year old and a 22-year old female, both of whom now live on Majuro. Both will be brought to the United States for treatment in the next few months. -more- Brookhaven National Laboratory is operated by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), under oa contract with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. AUIis a non-profit, research management organization sponsored by nine Universities: Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton, Pennsylvania, Rochester, and Yale. AU! also operates the National Radio Astronomy Observatory under a contract with The Nationa! Science Foundation f c at q