Publication Laka-library:
Medical survey of Rongelap people five and six years after exposure to fallout. BNL 609 (T-179) (1960)
| Author | R.A.Conard |
| Date | September 1960 |
| Classification | 4.26.4.00/10 (PACIFIC - US TESTING AREA) |
| Front | 
|
From the publication:
MEDICAL SURVEY OF RONGELAP PEOPLE FIVE AND SIX YEARS AFTER EXPOSURE TO FALLOUT Introduction The results of medical surveys of the people of Rongelap in the Marshall Islands, carried out in March 1959 and in March 1960 at 5 and 6 years after the accident, are presented in this report. These people had been accidentally exposed to fallout radiation following a detonation of a high yield thermonuclear device during experiments at Bikini in the Pacific Proving Grounds in March 1954. An unpredicted shift in winds caused a deposition of significant amounts of fallout on four inhabited Marshall Islands to the east of Bikini (see Figure 1) and also on 23 Japanese fishermen aboard their fishing vessel, the Lucky Dragon. Of the inhabitants of the island of Rongelap, 105 nautical miles away from the detonation, 64 received the largest fallout exposure: an estimated dose of 175 r of whole-body gamma radiation, contamination of the skin sufficient to result in beta burns, and slight internal absorption of radioactive materials through inhalation and ingestion. Another 18 Rongelap people away on a nearby island (Ailingnae), where less fallout occurred, received only an external gamma dose of about 69 r. There were 28 American servicemen on the island of Rongerik further to the east who received about the same amount of radiation as did the Rongelap people on Ailingnae. Lastly, 157 Marshallese on Utirik Island, about 200 miles further east, received about an estimated 14 r of whole-body radiation. The fallout was not visible on this island and no skin effects developed. The exposed people were evacuated from these islands by plane and ship about two days after the accident and taken to Kwajalein Naval Base about 150 miles to the south, where they received extensive examinations for the following three months. In view of the generally negative findings on the American servicemen, they were later returned to their duty stations.
This publication is only available at Laka on paper, not as pdf.
You can borrow the publication or request a copy. When we're available, this is possible for a small fee.