MEDICAL SURVEY OF RONGELAP PEOPLE EIGHT YEARS AFTER EXPOSURE TO FALLOUT Introduction porary village was constructed for the Rongelap The results of « nedical survey of the people of Rongclap in the Marshall Islands, carried out in the south, where they lived for ihe iuliuwing 34% years and were examined at yearly intervals by a special medical team. In July 1957, after careful evaluation of the radioactive contamination situation, Rongelap Island was considered safe for habitation. A new village was constructed, and the Rongelap people were moved there by Navy ship. The annual medical surveys have since been carricd out on Rongelap Island. A group of more than 100 Rongelap people, who were relatives of the exposed people but had been away from the istand at the time of the accident, moved back with the Rongclap people to their home island and have served as an ideal comparison population for the studics. This number has since increased to about 200, Following March 1962 at 8 years after the accident, are pre- sented in this report. These people had been acci- dentally exposed to fallout radiation following a detonation of a high yield thermonuclear device during experiments at Bikini in the Pacific Proving Grounds in March 1954. An unpredicted shift in winds caused a deposition of significant amounts of fallout on four inhabited Marshall Islands to the cast of Bikini (see Figure 1) and also on 23 Japanese fishermen aboard their fishing vessel, the Lucky Dragon. Of the inhabitants of the island of Rongelap, 105 nautical miles away from the det- onation, 64 Yeccived the largest fallout exposure: an estimated dose of 175 r of whole-body gamma radiation, contamination of the skin sufficient to result in beta burns, andslight internal absorption of radioactive materials through inhalation and ingestion. Another 18 Rongelap people away on a nearby island: (Ailingnac), where less fallout occurred, received only an external gammadose of about 69 r. There were 28 American servicemen on the island of Rongerik further to the east who reccived about the same amountof radiation as did the Rongelap people on Ailingnae. Lastly, 157 Marshallese on Utirik Island, about 200 miles further cast, received about an estimated 14 r of whole-body radiation. The fallout was not visible on this island and no skin effects developed. The exposed people were evacuated from these islands by plane and ship about two days after the people on Majuro Atoll several hundred miles to the initial survey of the Utirik people on Kwa- jalein in 1954, a repeat survey was carried out in March 1957. In addition, during the past survey, as in the previous surveys, a visit was made to Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls for examination of a number of Rongclap people, now residing at these atolls, and also groups of children who represent fee aiKINI= Le OF 2005 on * ory © AILINGINAE . Af 19% RONGERIK © 8 . 9G Syne accident and taken to Kwajalein Naval Base about SUTRiK T" RONGELAP . . 9D 9 150 miles to the south, where they received exten- Q sive examinations for the following three months. In view of the generally negative findings on the Amcrican servicemen, they were later returned to their duty stations. The Utirik people were also allowed to return to their home island, where radioactive contamination was slight enough to allow safe habitation. Because Rongelap Atoll was considered to be too highly contaminated, a tem- eo oo 0 ° MAIUROSS Figure |. Map of tallout area (March 1, 1954), Mar- shall Islands.