43188
WHITE HOUSE REPORT
BEST COPYAVAILABLE
May 5, 1960
BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
Thyroid Diseese in the Mershallese Exposed to PFellout
In the last information reported on this subject, October 20, 1965, it was
noted that a cumlative total of 11 instances of nodular thyroid glends had been
found in the 69 surviving Marshallese who had been exposed to fallout from the
Bikini Test of March 1, 1954, while on Rongelap end Ailingnae.
All but one of
these cases were in young people who were less than 10 years old at the time of
the inc{dent.
The single exception was in a 4i-yeser old woman (epproximately 39
at the time of the exposure) who vas found to have s carcinoma of the thyroid
gland when she was operated oan.
Dr. Robert A. Conard of the Medical Department, Brookhaven Netional
Laboratory, and leader of the annual, or more often, medical surveys of these
people, has just returned from the lstest survey of February-March 1966.
He
reports that an edditionel five cases of nodular thyroids have been diagnceed
in this group.
The present cumilative incidence ia shown in the table.
Age at
Exposure
Total Incidence of Nodules
Number
Through March 1966
Exposed
1-5
6-19
11-15
16-20
over 20
Number
16
9
7
5
32
69
Percent
9
4
0
0
3
16
56
44
ebout 25
Fifty-five of the 69 persons were on Rongelap Island and received estimeted
(R) plus possible doses of| 700 to 1400 fem to
The remzining)
patep |
Form AEC-318 (Rer. #53)
.
SO. & COVER WENT PelaTine OFFICE
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14 were visiting on Ailinginee, a
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