Agams,
MU.
1A ordertu uecermine tne total
number UT peopie dria
effects since the time of exposure, March 1954.
Table One.
ule
tutal
Cuyruiu
These data are given also in
The data include the most recent thyroid nodules detected in the
exposed population.
Dr. Adams and I estimated the excess cases of nodules and thyroid cancer
based on Robert Conard's twenty-six year report (Co80). However, thyroid cancer
and nodule data from the Marshallese comparison populations are being thoroughly
re-examined by us due to possible low-level exposure of some of these people from
the testing program. The average time at risk per irradiated subject was assumed
to be the time from radiation exposure on March 1-3, 1954 to time of surgery. One
person in the Utirik exposed population was assumed not to be an excess thyroid
cancer, Debate continues and a clear distinction of either carcinoma or adenoma
for this individual may never be resolved.
One implication of the dose reassessment was that the thyroid dose to each
population (see Table One) was from different relative amounts of external and
internal radiation. Also, the internal radiation dose rete was different for
each atoll population due to differences in nuclide conposition as a function of
fallout age. The greatest portion of thyroid ahsorbed dose was reassessed to be
from the shorter lived iodine isotopes 1-133 and I-135 and not from I-131.