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Wi. John T. Conway Joint Committee on Atomic Energy Congress of the United States ;Ff)%’ 1 The followin: summarizes the current status on the incidence of. thyroid disorders among the people of Rongelap Island w-ho we~e exposed to fallout on March 1, 1954. Dr. Canard, -Medical Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, conducted the most recent survey in March 1968. The results of the 1967 survey were reported to you by Ietcec dzted May 12, 1967. At that time we indicated that 17 people had developed thyroid nodules, 11 of which had been treated In the most recent survey, 2 more cases of thyroid nodules in children who were exposed to fallout on Rongelap when they were less than ten years of age were found. This brings the total number of cases of thyroid abnormalities in the 67 living Rongelapese to 21; of the 19 children in the more heavily exposed group who were less than 10 years of age at time of exposure, 17, or 90% have developed thyroid It was decided that 4 cases should be brought to the 13roolchaven National Laboratory for complete medical evaluation and, if necessary, surgery. Preparations for their transportation and reception are now taking place. Three are people having thyroid noduies w’nic’nhad not responded to thyroid hormone therapy. The fourth is a 29-year-old woman wizh an unidentified tzxor in the neck lateral to the gland. In the past, 11 Marshallese have undergone surgery; one woman exposed as an adult was found less than 10 years of age had benign adenomatous goitersO
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The incidence of thyroid problems in this population is tabulated on the enclosed sheet. We will keep you informed of the progress of these studies. Assistant General Manager for Research and Development Thyroid Nodules Including Hypothyroidism in the Marshallese Populations as of bee: Chairman Seaborg (2)
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Marshall ~ I?opulations as of llarch 1968 No. and Percent Zstimates of the doses to the. thyroids of the Rongelapese were recomputed by Ro James and J. Gofman, lJCRL #12273. December, 1964. Estimates of the thyroid doses of the Ailingnae and Utirik people were by proportionality to the respective whole body gamma doseso-. ,