range of weight from 1.9 to 3.1 grams for the children, which gave a "most
probable" dose which ranged from 685 to 1445 rads,
(including whole body
radiation) and which was much higher than the 150 rep. figure first used.
Exposure to Residual Radiation
A third general area about which the Committee is concerned will be noted
here.
This is the amounts of radiation the Rongelapese, and to a lesser extent
the Utirikese, were exposed to after being returned to their islands.
There was
radioactivity remaining from the "Bravo" shot in 1954 which was taken up into
the ecological systems of the atolls and also additional radiation of these
areas from later nuclear weapons tests.
As noted earlier, the Rongelapese
were kept from their island over three years and the Utirikese three months.
The Rongelapese were returned on June 29, 1957, three years, three months and
26 days after they had heen evacuated.
Previous to their return, Holmes and
Narver, at a cost of $348,375 to the AEC, had constructed a new village on
Rongelap.
However, it was virtually impossible to remove the radioactivity
in the soil,
plants,
and crabs on the land and from the fish, and other fauna
and flora of the lagoon.
In addition, the Rongelapese and Utirikese were exposed to radiation
after their return as a result of additional tests in the area, especially
from the "Redwing" series which included the explosion of thermonuclear bombs
in the megaton range.
As to the residual radiation remaining from "Bravo",
the BNL three-year report indicated that from external sources "the dose rate
at
the time of repatriation (July 1957) would be less than 30 mr/week and at
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