AOS 7 A me RR ACTION £ 4 s INFO % July 9, 1976 Utirik, Marshall Islands Trust Territory of the Pacific Hr. Roger Ray, AM/i&S R. F. U.S. Energy Research and DevedbSment Admintstra@tion (ERDA) PA & ae Sra ary Nevada Operations Office P.O. Box 1100 Las Vegas, Dear Mr o Nevada 8911, ha y : AMISSE aif . ee . OPK This letter is from the chiefs and all of the people in Utirik Atoll. -Jt has now been twenty-two years since the radioactive fall-out from the bomb, which has disturbed the peace and welfare from 1954 until the present. The doctors from ERDA have told us that there were 14 rads in Utirik and 175 rads in Rongelap, therefore, we are very surprized, because in Utirik we have ten cases of thyroid nodules, three of which were malignant. But in Rongelap eo e they have thirty cases of thyroid nodules, and also three casds of malignancy. Perhaps you can tell us if there is some explanation for the same number of malignant thyroid cases in Rongelap and Utirik, who received very different levels of radiation? its é e * te be * 2 Additionally, we have many more things to ask, because at present we are not happy with the way things are: le Why is there not a control group in Utirik? a) The people of Utirik are different from the people of Rongelap--they are a different gene pool and breeding population, b) The people of Utirik were exposed to different levels of radiation than the people of Rongelap---Utirik nad Uy rads, and Rongelap had 175 rads. oh c) There were different return times for the Utirik people and the Rongelap people from Kwajalein (following their evacuation) in“195l4---the people of Utirik returned to their atoll after three months, and’ the people of Nongelap returned to their atoll after three years, 8 ad) Would it be correct to say that perhaps the Utirik people received more ; e) Would it be correct to say that we can expect many more cases of. thyroid problems in the future? } than only 1k rads in light of their quick return time to Utirik? A0 (06 2e How come the ERDA doctors told us that there was just a little bit of radiat: in Utirik and a lot in Rongelap? That is, why are there the same momber of malignant thyroid glands in Utirik as there are in Rongelap? Sieg wreSE f > CY ee 36 Why is it that the ERDA doctors «lo not examine the children of the exposed Utirik group? he Why is it that the ERDA doctors give different treatment to the people of Utirik than the people of Rongelap? ‘They do not give full examinations to the people of Utirik every year, as they do in ilongelap. tihy not? Se The people of Utirik snowld be able to choose their owm doctors a) The people of Utirik do not like Dr. Knudsen because he does not examine all of the Utirik people, and looks at tne people of Utirik as if they are merely animals in a scientific cxperiment, and further, he does not provide a "sick call" for the people. b) The people of Utirik do not like Dr. Conard because he lies to the people, and has not nelped the people to understand the problems ~: