MEDICAL SURVEY OF RONGELAP PEOPLE : FIVE AND SIX YEARS AFTER EXPOSURE TO FALLOUT DOE ARCHIVES Introduction The results of medical surveys of the people of Rongelap in the Marshall Islands, carried outin March 1959 and in March 1960 at 5 and 6 years after the accident, are presented in this report. These people had been accidentally exposed to fallout radiation following a detonation of a high yield thermonuclear device during experimentsat Bikini in the Pacific Proving Grounds in March 1954. An unpredicted shift in winds caused a deposition of significant amounts of fallout on four inhabited Marshall Islands to the east of Bikini (see Figure 1) and also on 23 Japanese fishermen aboard their fishing vessel, the Lucky Dragon. Of the inhabitants of the island of Rongelap, 105 nautical miles away from the detonation, 64 received the largest fallout ex posure: an estimated dose of 175 r of whole-body gamma radiation, contamination of the skin sufficient to result in beta burns, and slight internal absorption of radioactive materials through inhalation and ingestion. Another 18 Rongelap people away on a nearby island (Ailingnae), where less fallout occurred,received only an externa] gamma dose of about 69 r. There were 28 American servicemen on the island of Rongerik further to the east who received about the same amount of radiation as did the Rongelap tion. Because Rongelap Atoll was considered to be too highly contaminated, a temporaryvillage was constructed for the Rongelap people on Majuro Atoll several hundred miles to the south, where they lived for the following 34 years and were examined at yearly intervals by a special medical team. In July 1957, after careful evaluation of the radioactive contamination situation, Rongelap Island was considered safe for habitation. A new village was constructed, and the Rongelap people were moved there by Navy ship. The annual medical surveys have since been carried out on Rongelap Island. : A group of more than 100 Rongelap people, whowererelatives of the exposed people but had been awayfrom the island at the time of the accident, moved back with the Rongelap people to their home island and have served as an ideal comparison population for the studies. Following the initial survey of the Utirik people on Kwa- jalein in 1954, a repeat survey was carried out in March 1957. In addition, during the past survey, as in the previous surveys, a visit was made to ‘Majuro Atoll to examine a group of children who represent part of the control group used for the growth and developmentstudies of the exposed children. people on Ailingnae. Lastly, 157 Marshallese on Curik Island, about 200 miles furthereast, received about an estimated 14 r of whole-bodyradiation. The fallout was not visible on this island and no skin effects developed. The exposed people were evacuated from these islands byplane and ship about two daysafter the accident and taken to Kwajalein Naval Base about 150 miles to the south, where theyreceived extensive examinations for the following three months. In viewof the generally negative findings : oa. <\wnatein a were also allowed to return to their home island, a wv © 9 9 on the American servicermen, they were later returned to their dutystations. The Utirik people where radioactive contamination was considered to be of a slight enough extent to allowsafe habita- _ 0 Figure 1. Map of fallout ° MAJU ROSS area (March 1, 1954), Marshall Islands. eget