Chapter 4 EVACUATION 4.1 and DECONTAMINATION EVACUATION OF INHABITANTS OF RONGELAP AND AILINGINAE ATOLLS Sixteen (16) Marshallese were evacuated by plane from Rongelap at 1000, 3 March (H+ 51 hours). a Forty-eight (48) Marshallese were evacuated from Rongelap by destroyer at the same time (H+ 51 hours). The eighteen (18) Marshallese who were living on Sifo Island, Ailinginae Atoll, were evacuated by destroyer at H+ 54 hours. The Marshallese were allowed to take with them little more than the clothing they wore. The survey team with the evacuation party reported readings of 1.0—2.3 r/hr throughout Rongelap Village at the time of evacuation. 4.2 DECONTAMINATION OF MARSHALLESE The 16 Marshallese evacuated from Rongelap by plane arrived at Kwajalein at noon on 3 March. These individuals showered and bathed several times in an emergency decontamination area, which consisted of a shower room and two adjacent buildings for storing contaminated clothing and possessions. The decontamination area was enclosed by burlap sacking material (Figures 4.1 and 4.2). The 66 Marshallese evacuated by destroyer (48 from Rongelap and 18 from Ailinginae) arrived late in the evening of 3 March (10—12 hour trip from Rongelap via destroyer). These individuals had taken numerous showers and prolonged washings with salt-water-hose sprays while aboard the destroyer. Clothing was not removed for showers and washings. On 4 March, showers and baths were repeated. The personnel of Project 4.1 arrived at Kwajalein on 9 March. Allinginae natives were monitored on 11 March (Figure 4.3). The Rongelap and The instruments used by Project 4.1 personnel were the ANPDR/39A and the ANPDR/ 27c (standard military issue, in general use). Due to the lack of a high-range, betasensitive instrument, clothing and body surveys had to be made with the ionization chamber type meterif the activity of the contamination exceeded 5 mr/hr. In most cases, after extensive decontamination, the probe of the 27c instrument was adequate for this purpose. The instruments used had been recently calibrated at the Naval Medical Re- search Institute (NMRI) against a Co® standard and were considered to be accurate and in good operating condition. They were hand-carried from NMRI to Kwajalein. The most highly contaminated areas of the body were the head and hair and areas of skin not protected by clothing. Natural folds of the skin and areas of the skin where 19