“
56
Table 1. Exposures of Marshallese Populations
Atoll
Distance
from Bikini
No. of
people
Roneelap
~ 100 miles
6?
Uurnik
~ 300 miles
158
Ailingae
~110 miles
Amount of
fallout
Heavy (snow-like)
19
Moderate (mist-like)
hat visible
people.
childrer
Parado.
nodules
Dunn
Estimated
gamma douse
175 rad
69 rad
develop
14 rad
without
of thyr
who ha
U/ml
have tw
Thez
abnorm
Utink 1
banum, and iodine. The significance of the radioiodine exposure was not
fully appreciated at that time. When thyroid abnormalities began to
appear, a re-evaluation of thyroid dose indicated an estimated dose of
335 rad to Rongelap adults and doses ranging from 700 to 1400 rad in the
children exposed at Jess than 10 years of age. Lower doses were
calculated for the other populations. The higher doses in the children
were related to the smaller sizes of their thyroid glands. The largest
followir
component was '*!], but shorter-lived isotopes of iodine, particularly '*71,
to the
radiatio
The first indication of thyroid trouble was the finding of growth
the Md
133f and '35], contributed more than half the dose.
Ona
retardation in a number of exposed Rongelap children, and jater corte-
exposu
tion of the gland. Two boys developed frank myxedema. It was about
this time 11964) that thyroid nodules began appearing. particularly in the
exposed children. In subsequent years, the nodules continued to appear
the Ma
fatron with decreasing thyroid hormonelevels indicated decreased func-
X irrad
337 an
Utnk groups. Table 2 shows the numbers of subjects who have had
thyroid nodules up to the present.
The Rongelap and Ailingnae people are seen to have greatly increased
numbers of nodules, both benign and malignant. and the Utirik group
also appears to have increased numbers compared with the unexposed
rate th:
The
exposu
which
neutror
but ais
which:
Table 2.
Table 3.
in the Rongelap and Ailingnae group and, beginning about 1967, in the
Thyroid Nodules Appearing from 1964 to 1979.
Group
Rongelap and Aslingnae
‘Total nodules
36.0%
(135-1150 rads)
(31/86)
Utirik
(30-95 rads)
Unerposed
Cancer
4.9%
cr
c 1a
G:
Rongelat
(4/86)
(135-11£
9.5%
(15/188)
1.9%
(3/158)
(30-95 +,
6.6%
(29 (437)
0.9%
(4/437)
"The number of cancer cases is tentative since final diagnoses on same recent cases are
pending.
iU
a
Utirik
Uneapes
a
Some o
and nodi