a

2
material on the islands wassufficiently intense to result
in significant whole-body irradiation of the inhabitants.
In addition, the skin was contaminated with the material,
and someof it was inhaled and ingested. The calculated
whole-body dose of radiation in roentgens as measured in
air and the amountof fall-out observed for each of the
island groups is shown below. The exposed American
Calculated Whole Body Dose of Radiation
Island
Group
Rongelap
Allinginae
Rongerik
Utirik

Population
64 Marshallese
18 Marshallese
28 American
servicemen
157 Marshallese

Whole-Body
Dose in r
175
69
7
i4

Fall-Out Observed
Heavy (snow-like)
Moderate (mist-like)
Moderate (mist-like)
None

servicemen were returned to duty after extensive medical
examinations at Kwajalein and at the Tripler General
Hospital, Honolulu, T. H. The Utirik people were returned to their native atoll after the initial period of observation. The Rongelap and Ailinginae residents were
moved to Majuro Atoil for temporary occupation of
dwellings built for them. These gamma ray doses were
calculated from field instrument readings taken at the
time of evacuation and decay schemes appropriate for
the estimated times of exposure. For the sake of brevity,
details will be presented only on the more severely exposed Rongelap group and the other groups will be referred to only for comparative purposes.
The detonation of the device was observed in the early
morning, and hours later the exposed individuals noticed

a snow-like material falling from the sky; this continued
for several hours. The material was visible on the ground
and sifted into the lightly constructed thatched-roof
houses. The material whitened the hair and clung to the
skin. During the night following the explosion and for
the next two days, about two-thirds of the population developed nausea and 10% vomited and had diarrhea.
During this period also, many developed itching and
burning of the skin and some reported burning of the
eyes with lacrimation. Supervised decontamination and
medicai care was not possible until the exposed individ-

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