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Dr. Conard explained thac the reason the thyroid gland received a4« much lerger
dose than the wnole body is because of a process called selective absorption by
the thyroid of radioactive iodine from food and water ingested by the Marshallese
following the falloutc.
The more serious cases of Rongelap indivicuals with thyroid nodules have
been brought back to the United States for thyroid surgery.
Included in this
group were nine children who had benign adenomatous goiters and an older woman
who had cancer of the thyroid gland.
It is not known whether her cancer is related
to the faiiout.
All of the indivicuels with thyroid abnormalities were put on a special
an analysis of blood samp es
pA
noted.
was taking
ui
o
treatment of thyroid hormones in ta let form wnen the abnormalities were first
in the past year showed that not everyone
the tablets regularly, which is necessary if normal thyroid hormone
levels are to be maintained.
It is especially necessary for the children if they
ére to grow and cevelop nozvmaily and remain nealthy.
To overcome this problem,
a new treatment schedule was put into effect this year.
e€acn incividuai to take one tablet daily,
Instead of relying upon
seven tablets will be taken once a week
in the presence of a responsible individual who will use a check-off list.
There
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is no Gitterence in body assimilation of the hormone between the once-a-week dos-
a that in the near future four Kongelap thyroid cases
(chree teen-age boys and a 29 year old women) wiil be brought to Brookhaven Nation2 Laborarory's Medical Research Center for detailed study and evaluation of the
neec for tnyroid surgery.
Gutside of the thyroid abnormalities,
there were no new medical effects or
nutritional Cericiencies noted as a result of the exposure.
scion is in gooc neath and good spirits.
The general popula-
in the exposed group, no death occurr-
éa and no miscarrieges or still births were reported, although a number of normal,
healtny baedies were born to both the exposed and un-exposed people.
Over the
yearS a number of deaths have occurred, but none of them are attributed to the fallout or its eitects.
Dr. Conard nored that the 1969 examination wiil be the i5th post-exposure
os
ye xr,
and a complete examination of both the exposed and control population is
paanned.
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