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When signs of thyroid abnormalities
appeared in the 1964 annual survey,
the actions taken were prompt and effective.’ Surgery was performed at the
U. S. Naval Hospital on Guam and subsequent cases were treated in the
United States.
One or more outstanding
the team each year since 1964.
of thyroid disease developed
thyroid specialists have accompanied
During the years 1964 to 1971, additional cases
in the exposed population ranging from hypothyroidism
with deficient growth to modularity
of the gland to malignant adenocarcinoma.
The majority of people affected had been under 10 years of age at the time of
exposure .
Prompt surgical treatment and/or daily thyroid hormone therapy
brought the situation under control.
The observations have been widely published
and accepted by medical authorities.
A summary of the incidence of thyroid
disease in the exposed populations
following the March 1971 survey is enclosed.
The }larsl~alleseon Utirik who received low exposures (less than 15 Roentgens)
have been visited by Dr. Conard and the teams at three to four-year intervals.
It has been reported that the Utirik people are of two minds about this schedule:
On the one hand they feel neglected,
particularly by comparison to the Rongelapese;
on the other they are happy not to be examined and have blood drawn.
Non-Medical
Problems which Relate to the Medical Surveys
Possibly the most troublesome problem originates from a legal complaint
styled Abia et al. v. United States, Trial Division, High Court Trust Territory
of the Pacific Islands.
This was received by the High Commissioner
the request tha~ he effect service upon the United States.
in Guam with
In essence it sought
a sum of $8,500,000 for property damage, radiation sickness, burns, physical and