PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED
Gilf Jonnson, a tree lance writer who has traveled extensive
througnout the Pacitic, edits the Micronesia Busietin
Dublisned in Honolulu, Hawan 96826.
habitation. the levels of activity are
higher than those found in other inhabited locations in the warid. The
tually gomg to Rongelap and Utink.
the team examined exposed people
in the district center of Majoro. The
habitation of these people on the is- Japanese report stated:
land will afford most valuable
ecological radiation data cn human
~_
meings.
“The people of Rongelap who were
not exposed to fallout. received a
considerable amount of radioactive
nuclides trom the environment.
Even at the outset of its medical
treatment program, the acc seemed Consequently, the “unexposed
willing to expenmment with the ex- group actually became an ‘exposed’
group... it was a great mistake to
posed Marshallese islanders.
Up to !988 the incidence ofsull- permit the people of Rongelupto rePiths and miscaitiaces in the ex- turn to their isiand in July 1987 withcosed Rengelap women was more out surficient work having been done
‘nan twice the rate ot unexposed to remove radioactive pollution from
Marshailese women.
the island.”
In 1961, a Brookhaven National
Laboratory report (prepared for the
In 1972. QQ. who had
.EC) showed that arter the exposed been only a year old at the time ot his
Rongelap people returned to their is- exposure in 1984. died of myeloxeand in !9S87 their body burden of nous leukemia at the National Canradioactivity rapidly increased. In cer Institute in Bethesda. Maryland.
:961 their body tevels of radioactive
The Atomic Energy Commission
cesium had risen 60-foid. zinc rose has consistently obscured informax-fold and strontium-90 rose 6-fold.
tion about the irradiation of the
In 1964. the first thyroid tumors
people and their high incidence of
thvroid disease and cancer. In 1975
and cancers appeared. Since that Nelson Anjain. Rongelap’s magistime. more than 90 percent of the trate. wrote to Dr. Robert Conard of
Roneelap children who were under Brookhaven:
i- Years old in 1954 have developed
thyroid tumors. Forty percent of ail
the exposed Marshallese have developed thyroid problems. as compared to an average of 3 or 4 percent
among Americans.
“For me and the people on
Rongelap. it is life which matters
most. For vou it is facts and figures.
We want our life and our health. In
all the vears vou’ ve come [to our isSome people who returned to land vou ve never oncetreated us as
Rongelap in 1957 had been away people, You ve never sat down
trom the island when the bomb among us and really helped us hon-
exploded and therefore had not been esuly with our problems. You have
exposed to radiation.
told the people that the “worstis
Brookhaven’s 1960 medical sur- over, then died. lam
vey showed little difference in verv worned that we will suffer
radioactivity levels among exposed again and again.”
and unexposed people living on
Rongelap. However. as late as 1969.
the bodyradioactivity levels of previously unexposed Rongelap people
was /O times that of Marshallese liv-
ing On 2 noncontamuinated island.
In i371, Marshall Isiands leaders
The Utirik people were suffering
as well. Because their exposure was
considered “‘small.’* tests on genetic
and second generation effects were
not conducted on them. The Atomic
Energy Commission had aiways told
invited a Japanese medical ream. to the Utink peopie tnat the {4 rads of
perform an independent survey of radiation they had experienced was
the Rongelap and Utirik people.
Barred by the United States from acIL
too insignificant to be harmful.
Nevertheless. in 23 vears the Atomic
Energy Commission treated 11 re
ported cases of thyroid tumors. 3 ¢
them malignant. out of a populatic
of only 187,
But suddenly in 1977 the cance
and thyroid disease rate among th
Ltirikese rose so sharply that
equalled that of the much mor
heavily exposed Rongelap popul:
tion. This unexpected increase ha
torced government scientists to revise theones on which radiation dos~
rate wil lead to adverse human ef
tects.
“Thyroid nodules have been in-
creasing inthe Utink peopie and th. .
was quite unpredicted and we ha’
some of the best experts in the
United States.” said Dr. Conard.
who has headed the Atomic Energy
Commission and now ERDa (Energy
Research and Development Auministration) medical program in the
Marshalls since 1984.
“The theory was put forth that
Utirik recetved iowradiation so a detailed follow-up was not necessary."
said Dr. Konrad Kotrady. a former
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