The Secretary of State of the newly formed Marshall Island government, Mr. Anton deBrum In 1970, Dr. R. A. Conard (then director of the BNL Marshall Island Study) visited Likiep The people of Utirik were returned to for Utirik. the people their island 3 months post-exposure; Follow up of Rongelap, 3 years post-exposure. sex matched cohort was established for the people of Rongelap. No cohort was established evaluation of the exposed population, an age- Following an extensive medical and radiologic specialists from the AEC and other nuclear labs. they were cared for by a team of radiation The exr-sed populations were evacuated 5. in a period oi +3-72 hours, to Kwaialetn, where Current data indicate that this popula- The visits to Likiep and Wotje were designed to determine the presence The inhabitants of ali islands other than Rongelap, Utirik, Alingnae and Rongerik have been We have no solid information on the size of the population sampled. However, the survey has information has been presented to US - Department of Interior and US - Department of Energy and assurances have been made to the Marshall Islands gov't. that a careful and scientifically valia in their present format is impossible from an epidemiologic standpoint, however the questionnaires do raise the possibility of an unexpected incidence of the aforementioned diseases in Likiep. This revealed an unusually high prevalence of "positive" results. The questionnaires have been completed by individuals and in many cases, by health care personnel. Interpretation of these questicnnaires 1954. reassured repeatedly that they have not been exposed to "significant" radiation. Recently, Mr. deBrum designed and circulated a medical questionaire to determine from a number of the people of Likiep and some surrounding atolls the prevalence of "thyroid" and "congenital" abnormalities since 5. tion might in fact have had a higher than ambient radiation exposure, the atoll were visited. of palpable thyroid nodules in an,"unexposed" population. In addition, all of these islands received an unknown amount of Utirik received 14 R. short-lived radio-nuclides - predominantly icdine. and attempted to perform a complete survey of the tsland aimed at detecting the presence of thyroid 4. of thyroid and congenital abnormalities in the people of Likiep. the island underwent personal dosimetry at the time of the visit. He states he can remember the Geiber Muller counter clicking rapidly during the counting of the feet of many of the inhabitants being surveyed. During the ensuing 25 years, Mr. deBrum states he has noted a “very high" incidence 3. States that as a child on Likiep at the time of the Bravo test on 3/1/54, he noted a particulate type of fallout. He remembers the visit of the Renshaw and states that a number of the people of nodules by palpation of all available inhabitants. During this survey 135 people were examined and 5 nodules were detected. Of the three major populated islands in the atoll, one was surveyed. In 1977, a similar survey was carried out on Wotje. Two of the four inhabited islands in Rongelap received 175 R of gamma radiaAlingnae received an unknown amount (ap- b. 18 Alingnae - 69 R ce, 158 Jtirik - 14 R Populations under study have included: 64 Rongelap - 175 R a. 4 in utero Same 410768 2, Recent developments in 1978 and 1979 have opened the possibility that islands other than thos designated in the traditional study may have received variable amounts of radiation, producing a wide spectrum of long term low level radiation of variable intensity. Recently obtained information from the papers of the USS Renshaw seem to indicate that on March 5-6, 1954 that there was a signifdeant increase in background radiation at least on the island of Likiep (7 300mr/hr fleasured from the water of che cistern of the Catholic school. l. EXPANDED CHARACTERISTICS ? prox. 69 R). Twenty-eight servicemen received an uuknown amount on Rongerik; 158 pecple on 4, cion; 3. Islands involved have included 2. Rongelap, Alinznae, Rongerik and Utirik. ,isease. Directed toward early detection treat1. ment, and prevention of radiation induced TRADITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND REQUIRED REVISIONS IN LIGHT OF ACTUAL AND PROJECTED EXPANSION COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE TRADITIONAL (1954 - 1978) BNL MEDICAL PROGRAM