Document text
Machine-read from the scan, so expect some errors. Lines that couldn’t be read are left out.
Page 1
Senator Olympio T. Borja, Chairman Special Joint Committee Concerning Rongelap and Utirik Atolls Congress of Micronesia Saipan, Mariana Islands 96950 Dear Senator Borja: This is in response to a letter from Brian people exposed to fallout. I have numbered the of Rongelap and Utirf_k questions on a copy of you? letter and present the following answers by-these numbers: (1) It wou~d not be feasible to grade compensation ~;ith regard to degree of thyroid injury.i.n the surgical cases since it:is not possible to quantify degree of injury ~r amount of healthy thyroid tissue rmaining after surgery. In any event thyroid replacement therapy used restores the normal metabolic state (dependent on thyroid function). The thyroid cancer cases following’sur~ery have been asymptomatic and have shown no ., evidence of recurrence. Such recurrence is extremely unlikely since it is alre;dy WCI.1 beyond the time (5 years) of usual recurrence. In answer to your query about the cases in whom the thyroid has ceased to function we have reconrnended (see attached letter to Mr. Rice) inclusion for compensation of the two young Ronge].apmen who had atrophy of the thyroid with growth retardation. Also recommended for compensation was a Rongelap. woman who had a nonthyroid neurofibroma surgically removed from her neck. This tumor may have been related to exposure. (2.)Due to their short radioactive life, none of the radioiodines involved in thyroid tumor production remained on the island when the people moved baclc to Rongclap. Only small amounts of other isotopes not selectively absorbed by the thyroid gland. Therefore the thyroid dose from these isotopes and from a slight amount of ~anma radiation ,, was far below that known to produce tumors of the thyroid or other effects on the body. The finding of about the same incidence of such tumors in the population living on an uncontaminated island in Likiep atoll favored nonradiation involvement. The thyroid tumors in the Utirik population, one of which wa’smalignant., have to be considered in a different Iifihtsince the thyroids in this ~roup rcccivcd some rad<oi.odine exposure. However, the’closereceived was quite low and since the incidence of bcnj.~n tumors of the thyroid was abotlt the same as in the Rc)ngclap contl-oland Likiep population it seems Cxtrcmcly unthe fact that most of the tumors were j.nthe older a~c group (as found
Page 2
a child exposed at less than 10 years of age (2Z of that group) compared with 90% of the Rongelap children exposed at that a~e. Another important ‘ consideration is tl~atthe fallout occurred considerably later at Utirik than at ,Rongelap and most of the more potent short-lived isotopes of iodine had died out. ll~edevelopment of thyroid cancer in the Uti.rikwoman might be considered separately since this is more rare. It is difficult however to malce a case for radiation effect for one such event. As pointed out above the later arrival of fallout at Utirik$ by reduction of short-lived iodine isotopes, would tend to render the thyroid exposure much less tumar- (3) The first part of question 3 was arwwered above under #1. I do not believe that there is bas’is for compensation in the woman with increased miscarriages during the first 5 years after exposure. There is no evidence that radiation was involved. Analysis of such occurrences in the much larger population of Japanese women exposed at Hiroshima and Nagasaki do not show any such effect of exposure. The lack of birth defects in the’viable children born of exposed Rongelap women who had miscarriages would seem to negate a radiation effect on the germ plasm as a caus~ of the miscarriages. Data on the exposed women subsequent to the posed and unexposed women. ‘(4) Regarding the death of Lekoj Anjain, althOUgh there is no certaini.ty that his ~euken~iawas radiation-re~atcd the chances are in favor of it. Therefore I believe we should favor radiation etiology for comp- (5) It is not possible to be precise. HGwever, I will say that we are well past the perioclwhen most radiation induced leulcemiasare noted. With regard to thyroid tumors the number of new cases seems to be diminish- (6) I did not participate in the decision to move the Rongelap people back and perhaps you had best refer this question to ERDA. I might point out that our data on body burdens in people living on Rongelap show that such Ievels”have always remained well below suggested guide lines. I hope these answers will be helpful to you and I will be happy to help in any further way I can. Please let me know about developments with regard to ihe compensation bill.