6 ( c+ “ Mr. Thomas’S. Dunnire me (-, . . -3- C. . teow Since the submission of Mr. Carver's letter, numerous cases of thyroid ... of thyroid disease in that 17 of the 21 cases of thyroid tumors occurred among the 19 individuals who were less than ten years of age at the tire of the test,’ An additional four cases of thyroid: tumors developed 2nong s - 18 Rongelapese of all ages who happened to be on the neighboring Ailinginae Atoll at the time of the test end wno received a smaller radiation dose, There is no question that radioactive iodine in the fallout was responsib]: for the high incidence of thyroid tumors in the Rongelap inhabitants. It is difficu ifficult to establish 2 causative relationship between radiation. exposure and zny single case of leukemia. However, the observations that the indivicual who developed leukemia was one yeer old d at the time of the . thermonuclear test and had required thyroid surgery for tumors before the onset of leukemia are sugsestive of a relationship between the exposure end the leukenia, The inhabitents of Utirik received only small radiation exposures as a The people were evacuated from their Atoll and relocated result of the test, elsewhere for a few months. However, during the last twenty years, the people of Utirik have felt that they are entitled to some compensation because of their radiation exposure and the forced evacuation from their’ “Atoll. Although they recognize thet the risk and dislocation were much less than those of the Rongelapese, the Utirik inhabitants have reasoned by analogy that their lesser risk and inconvenience warrant compensation, albeit snsller than that provided to the people of Rongelap. Since the Utirik peepls have cooperated with the Broo?khaven National Laboratory medical team in medical follow-up examinations through the years, the AEC provided to the Trust Territory on June 25, 1974, a sum of $18,212 to be disbursed in equal pzy=ents of $116 to each” exposed inhabitant or his heirs. The compensaticn requested by the Special Joint Committee for the Utirik people would be in eddition to the AEC payment and would be for inconvenience experienced in relation to the 1954 test. The nature and amount of compensation provided to the peeple of Rongelap by the Congress under P.L. 88-485 was based on the information available at the tine Congressional action was taken on the bills. Tnat inforcation as presented in Mr, Carver's letter included cnly the minor and indefinite medical effects observed up to that time. The thyroid tumors and leukemia described above were neither evident nor predicted at the tice of Congressional action, The medical developnents that have occurred since DOE ARCHIVES 39 4 2 owFe 2 present on Rongelap Atoll at the time of the test, 21 have developed thyroid tumors; three.were.malignant. .Age was a factor. in.the incidence. ues disease have appeared in the exposed population and a fatal case of leukemia occurred in 1972. Of the 64 Rongelap inhabitents who were