- 13 -+ All in all, the effects varied with the amount of radiation dose received, with the greatest exposure at Rongelay and the least amount at Utirik. There were early acute effects at Rongelap, including skin burns, loss of hair, vomiting and depression of blood elements. Exposure of the thyroid gland occurred in people at Rongelap, Ailinginae and Utirik from gamma radiation during the initial fallout and from other radionuclides ingested with food and water. Brookhaven Report 5-10. Because of the latency period between exposure and the onset of cancer and genetic effects, it is reasonable to be | concerned about health effects in the Rongelap, Ailinginae and Utirik populations for some time to come. This is also true if there is residual radiation at those islands which could result in exposure via food. Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation In this country the standard work on the subject of human health effects as a result of radiation exposure is a report entitled, The Effects on Populations of Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation. This report was prepared by the prestigious National Academy of Sciences Advisory Committee on the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiations in 1972, after thorough review of all of the scientific data available. We <- shall refer to this Committee as the “BEIR Committee” and its report as the "BEIR Report." moe ye . me * eet ve ft . wave ye . Tee + me tyre y * . eae PN eer ‘an. ' ae . . ‘er weer a