worse by the fallout, such as fish poisoning and inflammation of the mucous membranes from arrowroot flour, which, when improperly pre- _ pared, causes such effects. Almost all deaths werethought tobe rpiate aa expe- sure,When.a young Man emia,there wasgréatconcernthatmanyronanna would die. afthat disease. Withthe developmentafthyroid tuimars, many.werepancernedshattheymight develop such cancer. 7 Other compiaints not related to the examinations were that the coconuts, when mature, were smaller than usual. There was consider- able unhappiness that the coconut crab, consid- ered a great delicacy, had to be banned from the diet for about ten years due to unacceptable levels of radioactivity. Further, during our exami- nations people could not forage for food adequately and requested that we furnish food. Recognizing that our visits disturbed the normal rhythm oflife on the Island, we subsequently broughtin food to cover the period of theexaminations. | Village meetings were held with the people on ourarrival at the island to explain the purAwaiting exame at Rongelap. IGGL 12 pose of our visit, and at the end, another meet- tm te 2 There were severai problemsin carrying out the examinations. The language barrier hampered communications with the people. However, we were fortunate in having English-speaking Marshallese participating in the program whoalso acted as interpreters. Sometimes people were unsure of their exact age, which caused particular problems in assessing growth and developmentin the children. The diagnosis of an illness was often vague and the cause of death was often ‘too old”, and it was difficult to obtain consent for autopsies, even at the District Medical Centers because of feelings against mutilation of the body after death. Some peopie complained that drawing blood made them feel weak, while others questioned the need for continued examinations, particularily during the early period when there were few significant findings. Psychological reaction to the fallout was reflected in various ways. In the early years, fears regarding fertility were present, and there were complaints of weakness believed to be due to exposure. Many ailments commonto the Marshallese were believed to have been made me meee Set tet SE ge er ie i es C. Problems Associated with the Examinations