FIVE MARSHALL ISLANDERS TO BE EXAMINED AT BROOKHAVEN MEDICAL CENTER Upton, New York, May , 1966. Five people from Rongelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands of the Pacific will be brought to the Medical Research Center of AEC’s Brookhaven National Laboratory at Upton, L.1., N.¥., this month for clinical examination and possible surgery. They heve nodules -- a thickening or hardness -- in their thyroid glands which appear to be the result ef exposure to fallout radiation from en steespheric nuclear detonation at Bikini 12 yeers ego. OF the five, one fs a mature women, three are girls in their early teens, and one is # young wousn under 21 years of age. The five additional cases, noted early this year during the continuing annual medical surveys of the islanders, bring the total musber of thyroid cases to 16 out of the original 82 Rongelap people who were exposed. The thyroid nodules were first detected in March, 1964, during the tenth annual wedical survey of the people of Rongelap and Utirik Atells, Thirteen ef 19 children in the more heavily exposed group, all ef whea had been exposed st less than ten years of age, hed nodules. All nodules of those children who were exanined or treated surgically were found to be benign. Only one per- gon, @ woman of 40 years, had cancer of the thyroid, for which she recefved aurgery @ year ago, and is now doing well. In addition, there vere two boys with hypothyroidism in the exposed group who had previously shown growth retardation. thera PY These boys have foproved as a result of the thyroid hormone inetituted six months ago. visi US DOE ARCHIVES ' 326 U.S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION g° BEST COPY AVAILABLE (more) Collection___O @mM IBox os3%3 Folder@eweval.managers File LV