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ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION MEMORANDUM FOR CHAIRMAN SEABORG A SUBJECT: RECENT INFORMATION ON THYROID DISEASE IN THE Laboratory, has just returned from an interim visit to the Marshall ■" - Islands to check on possible further development,of thyroid abnor-j^j - malities in the Rongelapese accidentally exposed to fallout on . March 1, 1954. He was accompanied by Dr. J. E. Rail, a consultant thyroid specialist of the National Institutes of Health. • It will be recalled that, as of mid-summer, benign nodules Lad been ~ . found in a total of five adolescents exposed at ages of two to seven 'C , years; one adult female,- forty-one years old, had been found to haveTf-- a malignant nodule. All successfully underwent surgery for removal of the abnormal tissue. Attached is a copy of our July 12, 1965, . ■ memorandum to you describing the successful surgery for two children > . - During the current August examinationj nodules were found in three . additional adolescents and two adults. The contours of the thyrpids > of two more adolescents, two young adults, and one man approaching : middle age were sufficiently different from normal to cause ,, + ‘ To summarize, there are now eleven of eighty-two Marshallese with Department Of Energy (*e^n^te of their thyroid tissues and five more are US DOE ARCHIVES 326 US ATOMIC ENERGY
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The non-exposed control population continues to be free of nodular thyroid disease. This extremely high incidence of thyroid disease in the exposed population must be considered the result of their exposure to fallout. Dr, Conard and his group will return to Bongelap in February 1966, Meanwhile, therapy with synthetic thy roid hormone has been instituted in an effort to control further nodule formation. Surgery is being arranged for the five new cases of nodular thyroid disease. You will be kept informed as this develops further. Obviously, there are many aspects to these findings which will excite both medical and lay interests. Division of Biology and Medicine Department of Energy
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SUBJECT: THYROID DISEASE IN RCNGELAP ISLANDERS During the week of July 5, 1965, the three Rongelapese V;ho usre brought to this country for study.at Brochhaven National Laboratory were operated on at the Lshey Clinic, Boston. You will recall that thyroid tunors rare noted at the 1965 radical examination of those exposed to fallout in March 1954 from .he The two teen-age boys rare found to have each a solitary benign tumor of the thyroid. These nodules ware removed surgically. The middle-aged woman was found to have a carcinoma of the thyroid gland with some metastases to local structures. A sub total thyroidectomy was carried out. In her case, the prognosis is fair. She will ba given 30 raillicuries of Iodine-131 ■ therapeutically to destroy persisting thyroid tissue. It is interesting that the dose of radioiodine to the thyroid gland in the case of the woman is estimated st about 160 rads, or approximately one-tenth that to the glands of the youths. Presently under consideration is theacniniserafcion of dessicated thyroid tablets prophylactically to all the Rongelapese who were at Rongelap or Alinginae at the time of fallout. Director, Division of Biology and Medicine ; Department of Energy