High Morbidity Among Islanders Exposed to Bikini H-Bomb Disorders of Thyroid and Others Found

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High Morbidity Among Islanders Disorders of Thyroid AEC Medical Charts of 66 Exposed to Bikini H-bomb and others Found persons Obtained by Gensuikin Kyushu Bloc Council bc)mbs, business manager: Kazuyoshi Yamakawa, c/o Fukuoka Prefectural Council of Labor Unions) which has invited and treated !Iicronesian survivors exposed to fall-out from the US H-bomb test at Bikini Atoll 22 years aqo, which also caused the tragedy of the No. 5 Fukuryu-maru (Lucky Dragon), has obtained the unreleased AEC (U~S. Atomic Enerqy Commission) medical charts of 66 proximally exposed residents of Rongelap Island. They contain detailed information on the circumstances at the time of exposure and medical data includinq the after- ~’effect”sthat developed during the 19 years until 1973 and the course ‘ of treatment such as are not available for A-bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Specialists who have seen the charts point out that “incidence of thyroid abnormalities is surprisingly hiqh and careful surveillance must be continued against leukemia ancl cancer.” The Bloc Council says it wishes to “expand its treatment program in Japan and use the charts as data for appealing the ever increasing dread of the nuclear bomb.” According to the AEC report, the H-bomb test was conducted on 1 March 1954 and a total. of 267 persons were exposed including 28 American scientists. The AEC is sendinq a medical survey team to the islands and issuinq a summary report on the survey findings every year. However, becaus~ the United States is refusing foreiqn surveY, teams: entry into Micronesia, a trust territory of the US, hardly any firsthand medical data on the individual patients have been internationally The Gensuikin dispatched an investigation team in 1971, but the team was not allowed to enter the territory. Therefore the Kyushu Bloc Council in May this year invited to Naqasaki for the first time two residents of Ilonqelap Island and opened a way for the Bikini survivors to receive treatment in Japan. In the course of this, copies of the medical charts of 66 of the 86 exposed islanders (including 4 exposed in utero) were obtained. The Council had almost the entire picture analyzed by specialists by the 3rcl.

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and 4 exposed in charts were of 50 subjects exposed to 175 rad. at. 12 exposed to 69 rad at adjacent Ailinqinae Island, According to the medical charts, all except those exposed in utero complained of the same acute symptoms as those experienced by the survivors of lIiroshima and Naqasaki imiiecliatelyafter exposure, such as radiation burns, decreased blood count, nausea and epilation due to radioactive fall-out. Among those exposed to 175 radr 19 under age 10 and all 10 over age 31 had burns and all 10 between ages 21 and 30 had decreased blood count ,(see table). Subsequently, spontaneous abortions, stillbirths and hematemesis have been occurring repeatedly, and Of note is the fact that differing from Fiiroshima and Xagasaki more than a half of them have develoyed thyroid clisorders including cancer. This is due to the larqe intake of radioactive i~dine after irradiation throuqh drinkinq water, etc. It was learned that 13 of the 19 ex~sed to 175 rad had all or part of their thyroicl gland removed by the P.mericans and were making u; for the loss of thyroid function by takinq hormones regularly. Besides, 5 of the 20 persons who have died so far were cases of leu?:emia and cancer of the genital organs. The professors of the Atomic Disease Institute, Naqasaki University School of Meclicine who have seen the charts, and the physicians of the Red Cross !Iagasaki A-bomb Hospital who have administered medical care to the 2 j.slanders, say, “Development of cancer be expected to continue in future. ” However, accordinq to the islanders the present no specialist is permanently stationed on the island get by with health examination and administration of and leukemia can situation is that and they have to (!Tote) “Rad” is a unit of measurement of absorbed radiation dose. It ‘is said that exposure to over 100 rad in a short space of time will cause death or such dis~a.ses as cancer and that when exposed to over 800 racl all will die. US to ?4ake Full-scale Study on Residual. Radiation Soon According to ?4icronesian Assembly sources, the United States Government will conduct shortly a full scale residual radiation survey on the Bikini Atoll and surrounding islands of the Yarshall Islands which had been the nuclear testing ground of the United States from 1946 to 1958. The US Government had proclaimed 8 years ago that the residual radiation on the Bikini Atoll was “safe.” However, voices requesting a full-scale reinvestigation heightened subsequently amonq the still worried former residents of the Bikini Atoll, and the matter had developed to the point where a lawsuit was instituted against the US Government at the Hawaiian Reqional Court of Law in October last year. This is a case where the US Government was pressured into takinq action by the islanders’ power. The expense will be 1.5 million dollars (about 450 million yen), Reportedly, it is the wish of the US Government to complete all studies by the beqinning of next year at the

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Various Examinations Made Every Year Says Responsible Pergon of US IX. Robert A. Conard, the person in charge at.the Brookhaven ;<ational Laboratory (New York City) , the institute with jurisdiction over the Bikini expo&ure problem, states as follows regarding the conditioa of the survivors. At present the exposed people are given various examinations such as blood test and heart examination at least once annually. A specialist is permanently stationed a’cKwajalein Island who visits the Bikini islands on ERDA’s private boat to ex,amine the exposed residents.