Up to the 1940s the Marshall islanders, like most other Micronesians, were self-sufficient living off the ocean and land. Brookhaven resident. physician in the Marshails. “Nowthe facts of the they have adamantly barred outside medical teams from the islands. Not thyroid cancer art Utirik have strongi\ shown that the theory was wrong. Kotrady wrote in a stinging critique of the ERDA medical program. “The people ask if this thyroid problem has suddeniy occurred is it not possible that the éxperts have been «srong for so many vears and that more problems will occur in the fused to undergo the 1972 aEC medical examinations unless independen’ doctors participated were two doctors added to the aEc team for that eXamination, Everv year since 19484, the agec and later ERDA medical teams have Despite the inability of the AEC’s “experts to predict the thvroid can- and everv vear they reassure them of thetr good health. When the peopie future.” until the Rongelapese and others re- examined the Marshallese people. eventually began asking, “"If nothing is wrong with us. why do you keep coming back every vear to examine us?” ERDA replied that it was a pre- caulionary measure. Although the AEC/ERDA has treated the Marshallese tor 24 vears. a studybya special committee of the Congress of Micronesia stated. “Time and again the committee found that the people did not understand unvrhing about their exposure, the possible etfects on themselves and to their cnildren and on their environment. Protesting what they considered inadequate medical care and to underline the monumental cultural clash between the U.S. medical personnel and the islanders. the Utinkese refused a quarterly ERDA + ere nee eyeeee cers among the Utink population. medical checkup on December 1976. and the ERDA physician was recalled. “‘The people of Utirik are very distressed and angryas a result of the radiation.” the chiefs of the atoll wrote the Energy Research and ~ (eft) Nuclear bomb crater. Enewetak ~~ Atoll, ibeiow) Leaving Bikini. .. carrving pandanus leaves to build new : houses on Rongerik. Suifering from mainutrition, the Bikinians are | evacuated to a tent city on Kwajaiein. N2 Yor 67 February 1979 The Bulletin 13 | |