Preliminary Statement of the Medical Surveys of the Rongelap and Utirik People in March 1963, Nine Years After Exposure to Fallout Radiation

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AND UTIRIK PEc-E IN MARCH 1963,NINE YEARS AI j EXPOSURETO 4,():1.c1;;!/3 Territory of the Pacific medical survey team consisting of 10 physicians and the Atomic Energy Commission and 10 from the Trust Islands, visited the Rongelap and Utirik atolls and carried out a medical survey of the people who had been exposed to fallout radiation in 1954, An unexposed group on Rongelap who served as a comparison population were also examined. Since complete analysis of the data will take months, the following preliminary statement is made at this time, On arrival of the team in the Marshall Islands, a serious epidemic of poliomyelitis Type the epidemic had been Sabine oral vaccine. varying degrees of on the island with the exposed group. 1, with many paralytic cases, was in progress. However, brought under control by widespread immunization with There were 22 cases among the Rongelap children with paralysis and the disease had also affected three adults one death from bulbar paralysis of a 67 year old woman in Fortunately the people of Utirik were spared the epidemic. the medical examinations of both Rongelap and Utirik people revealed generally in good health and appeared to be in a better state of and with less skin disease than has been noted previously. About the same incidence of diseases was noted in the exposed population as in the unexposed comparison population. No cases of cancer, leukemia or other diseases believed to be enhanced by radiation exposure were noted. No evidence of any malignant change in the residual radiation (beta) burns of the exposed Rongelap people was noted. In several cases, these areas of the skin showed further development of pigmented (mole-like) changes, which however are not considered serious complications. A number of biopsies of the skin were obtained for detailed study. Several children in the exposed Rongelap group continued to show slightly retarded growth and development but otherwise appeared to be

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@ring the past year exposed group; three in older died from polio) and one in a on Rongelap four deaths had occurred in the young man whose death was associated with a fall from a coconut tree. Two deaths had occurred in the unexposed group. None of these deaths appeared to be related to radiation exposure. One stillbirth with congenital abnormalities was born to exposed parents, the significance of which is being investigated. The usual number of healthy babies were born to both exposed and unexposed groups. Aside from the epidemic of poliomyelitis at Rongelap, the only other epidemics worthy of note were gastroenteritis of a rather severe nature among several children who were treated successfully and a few cases of sickness from eating arrow root flour (which probably had not been properly prepared). Vital statistics of the people of Utirik during the past three years since last seen were not remarkable with mortality and causes of death and the number of births about the same in the exposed and unexposed groups. No unusual epidemics or types of disease that might be associated with radiation effects had occurred on Utirik. There was excellent cooperation of both Rongelap and Utirik people in carrying out examinations and the friendly relationship between the examining group and the people was most gratifying. This spirit was believed to be enhanced by the fact that prior to the sumeys, meetings were held with the people about the examinations and their purpose, and at the end of the surveys, they were informed of the general results. The people were most appreciative of the things music, and the “going away done for them and particularly enjoyed the movies, party” that the team provided.