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Special Joint Committee Concerning Rongelap and Utirik Atolls Congress of Micronesia Saipan, Mariana Islands 96950 Thank you for your letter of October 4, 1972. You requested a rough summary of the survey. The following sunxaarymust be considered preliminary in nature. The medical records and equipment have not yet arrived from the islands. I understand that the quarantine due to the influenza epidemic held up the Militobi departure for Kwajalein, where our material was to be airshipped You will remember that in the March survey we were able to complete the examinations on the Rongelap and Utirik people at Ebeye. Therefore, the following examinations were performed at Rongelap, Utirik and Wjuro atolls: Children of exposed 16 . 14 Children of unexposed 4 6 In addition, a large number of other people were examined and treated for routine ailments during sick call each morning at Rongelap and Utirik. At Rongelap an epidemic of severe gastrointestinal infection, frequently complicated by upper respiratory infection ands in some cases, by pneumonitis, were treated. At least a dozen children were involved. A total of some 40-50 people were treated at sick call at Rongelap. At Utirik also a large number of children (26 in one morning) and some 20-30 adults were treated for various ailments. At
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1 Majuro also treatment was recommended on some of the people examined I to the local medical officers. In the interest of trying to promote a better couxnunicationbetween the examining doctors and the Marshallese examined, an attempt wee made at the completion of each examination to explain to the person through an Interpreter the general results ofd 1 the examination and possible treatment recommended. At each island clinical conferences were held by the physicians, including the medical observers, Dr. Riklon and the health aide, to evaluate all cases examined and to recommend treatment and disposition..— In some cases$ the health aide was advised as to further treatment. ~ In other cases, Dr. Knudsenswas asked to see certain cases on his return visit to the islands. In other cases transfer to the Majuro J hospital were recommended for further evaluation and treatment. At Rangelap there were two hospital cases and at Utirik five casee. 7 We took them with us on the Militobi to Majuro. None of these people J appeared to have conditions related to radiation exposure. When we left Majuro at the end of the survey, the two Rongelap women were .- being further examined. Four of the five Utirik cases were found to .; have conditions that could be treated on their home island and they were to be returned. The other case fran Utirlk needed further There were important findings in three exposed people who lived at Majuro. Two young exposed girle had developed thyroid nodules since last examined inB71. They were Billiam Jabwe (female, age 19) who had been expoeed at one year of age at Ailingnae. The other girl waa Rokko Iso (female, 29) who had been expoeed on Rongelap at age 12. Surgical removal of these nodules is of course necessary. Dr. BrDobyns lt the Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital, who operated on uany of the other Marshallese thyroid caees, hae agreed to operate on these as soon aa it is possible to arrange transportation of the patients to Cleveland, Reliminary arrangements have already been otarted for this. Tha third caee is more eerious. Lekoj Anjain, male, age 19, who was lxpoaad lt one year of aae on Rongelap was found to have a low whita blood c*11 count during the survey. A repeat count later in the survey was aven lower. This boy had previously had thyroid surgery fOr removal of benigq nodules of that gland in 1968 and when last lxamfnad in March 1971 he was found to be healthy. In view of the took Lakoj with us to Tripler Army Hospital in Honolulu. They were unabla$ howevtr, to get a successful bone marrow examination and we docidod to taks him back to Brookhaven National Laboratory. I ~ ao?ry to raport that tho dia8nosis of acute myelogenous leukemia was
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THYROID LESIONS IN MARSHALLESE EXPOSED TO FALLOUT Estimated Thyroid Malignant jradiation dose-~amma) exposure dose-radsl Percent surgery Percent Utiriks (14 rads gaaau < 10 40-80 0.0 (0/55) o2Based on number living. In parentheses number of cases/total number in group. 3One child 1O-17 years of lge at exposure received estimated thyroid doses between 4Fifteen children 1O-17 years of age at exposure in this group received estimated thyroid dose. between 22 and 40 rads. sThe more energetic shorter-lived isotopes of iodine contributed less to the total thyroid do”ne in the Utirik people due to later fallout. One might eurmiso thcrcforr Lhuk Lhe biOlOU&ca& @~f@cEiv@nomn Of Eha LhytoiII dofia pot ratl would ba lens in LhuL 6In addition to thyroid lesions, one case of acute myelogenous leukemia was dfacovere In l 19-year-old RongaLap boy who had received 175 rad ganma radiation lt 1 year of I