DRAFT
The people of Utirik Atoll wrote a letter, dated July 1976,
to Mr.
Roger Ray containing a series of questions about the medical program on
their island.
<A copy of this letter is attached.
The following comments
concerning this Letter were prepared by members of the staff of Brookhaven
National Laboratory and ERDA,
Following the accident in 1954 the American physicians and scientists
involved,
based on knowledge of human radiation effects available at that
time, did not believe that the dose estimated to have been received by the
Utirik people would lead to diseases caused by radiation.
Also, since
they had shown no acute effects and only a slight statistical depression
of platelet counts, they were returned to their home island.
However, it
was considered prudent that the Utirik people should be examined at regular
intervals and they were given complete physical examinations in 1957,
1963, 1966,
1969,
1972 and 1975,
1959,
During the past six years speciai atten-
tion has been paid to thyroid examinations on an annual basis and all of
the people on the island have been encouraged to be examined and treated
by the BNL physicians at sick call.
Since 1973 the BNL resident physician
has visited Utirik ona quarterly basis.
Dr.
Kotrady was employed by
Brookhaven National Laboratory to continue and expand the program initiated
by Brookhaven and first carried out by Dr. Knudsen.
In conducting the medical examinations on the Marshallese, a comparison
(control)
group was selected so that
could be compared.
the exposed
and non-exposed people
This comparison group was selected in 1958 from the
unexposed people of Rongelap.
<A Separate unexposed group of comparison
people from Utirik was not considered necessary since
the Rongelap proup
was considered adequate for comparison with both the peoples of Rongelap
and Utirik.
and
The slight genctic difference between the two exposed populations
differences
in
doses
received
DRAFT
were not
considered
sufficient
reasons
to