a 5 to epeat hea sacar? Saye te ee ET Bat ay te Dees of£ the thyroid slants to respond to furcher TS stinelation’? - . 4 -. . tne tintny of the nodulo factor in nodule formation. However, the nodules occurred early tn adolescence in the young?2r exposad children those who vare older ct exposure. of the existence cf hyroid nodules in so many subjects raises the que: gLY The finding co goltrogenic factors unrelated to radiation. tion However, the overwhelming concentration ef the nodules within a specific eze-exposure environmental fectois other than fallout radiation. The lack of development of thyroid cbnormelitics in children of seme ages of less heavily exposed tad groups (6 Addingnee and 54 Utirik children) as well as in 48 unexposed cali dren all living in the sane or similar environment substantiates the cbhove conclusion. Althovshno thyroid cancer hes been dateciad es yat in the Rongelap children, the risk of malignancy should be considered increased. It is now 15 years from time of exposure, well within the 3 to 27 year latent period for cencer cevelopment reportee in the Literacuel®, 19, 20, The subjects are fin the late teers and early twenties where the p eak incidence of radia~ 4 a tien-r elated thyroid cance ta 18, has been noted + 19 . alas Sy The physical deses of£ mL rediation to which the thyroid glands of the Rongelap children were subjected ere hisher than those doses which have been associated with late development It is ponsible that in the Marshallese children the vith reported ceses** since exposure was loreely aus to vedietedines. to the thyvotd ¢ Under conditions of tha fallout, nai wes received over so period of hours. the done