Enclosure 2 ~ Additional Information Concerning the Radiation Exposure, |. 4, Medical Sequefae and Compensation The inhabitants of Rongelap and Utirik atolls in the Marshall Islands ' were accidentally exposed to fallout radiation following a detonation of a high yield thermonuclear device during experiments at 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 r 27 oO. yore LT 2 © , 2 Figure 1. Map of fallout area, Marshall Islands, March 1, 1954. fishing vessel, the Lucky Dragon. Q 9 Q ° uasuno Cy % Of the inhabitants of the islands of Rongelap, 105 nautical miles away from the detonation, 64 received the Largest fallout exposure: an estimated dose of 175 rads of whole-body gamma radiation, contamina- tion of the skin sufficient to result in beta burns, and internal absorption of radioactive materials through inhalation and ingestion. Another 18 Rongelap people away on a nearby island (Ailinginae), where less fallout occurred, received only an external gamma dose of about 69 rads. men on the island of Rongerik further There were 28 American service- to the east who received about the same emount of radiation as did the Rongelap people on Ailinginae. Lastly, 157 Marshallese on Utirik Island, about 200 miles further east, received an estimated 14 rads cf whole-body vadiation, skin effects developed. The fallout was not visible on this island and no These data are summarized in Table 1.- The exposed people were evacuated from these islands b¥-plane and ship about 2 days after the accident anu taken to Kwajalein Naval Base atout 150 miles to the south, where they received extensive examinations for the following 3 months. | 9008580