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(Mr. Sherer, United States)

In August 1964 the United States Congress appropriated the sum of
$950,6CO which, after legal expenses, waa paid to the affected inhabitonts
of Rengelap Atoll.

ach of the 82 exposed individuals or his heirs received

evproxinately $10,CC3 a3 a luzp sum.

The 157 people of Utirik, who had

received a lesser cesree of cxpesure, were not compensated.
Gince the 1964 sayment, thyroid ebnormalities hnve been appearing ip the

criesed Rengelapese mé 25 cnerations for thyroid removal have taken plece.
Leukemia also appeared in a 19-year-old boy who had been expcsed a3 a one~year-old

infeat.

This young man died in 1974 in the National Cancer Institute,

Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, while being treated for acute myelongenous

leikenia.

Tuventy-nine of the sriginal exposed Rongelap population of &4 have

ceveloped thyroid abnormalities.

Additionally, in the past two years six cases of thyroid abnormalities
have appeared in the Utirik exposed croup.
In 1972 the Cenzress of Micrenesin created a Special Joint Committee Concerning
onpelan end Utirik Atoll.

In ifay 1975 the Chairman of the Special Joint Comittee

end one of tie Corrittece morbers ret in Mashengton, D.C,, with United States
Senators mid Congrecsmen about a request for additicnal compensation to the

ercosed versons or treir survivors.

This included an "inconvenience payrent”

of 91,000 cach to 157 people of Utirik or their survivors, payments to
the sother and father of the Marshallese boy who died of scute leukemia in 19T}
onl reyment of $25,°°) each rer persen rer thyroid operation, past end future.
A propcsed bill for additional compensation was prepared by the

-

Dope rant of the Interior and has been suv‘ tted to the Office of Managexent
epa Budget for elearcace and transmittal to the United States Congress
Preliminary

ecavercac

th Congressional members on the port cf

interior officials .nd Congress of Micronesia menbers have indicated that

the eppropriate United States Congress Committees will give a sympathetic
.

ncaring to this propcs3al

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