From June 1946 to August 1958, the U.S. Department of Defense and Atomic Energy Commission conducted nuclear weapons tests in the Northern Marshall Islands. BRAVO, an aboveground test in the Castle series, resulted in radioactive fallout contaminating Rongelap and Utirik Atolls. On March 3, 1954, the inhabitants of these atolls were relocated until radiation exposure rates declined to acceptable levels. Environmental and personnel radiological monitoring programs were begun in the mid 1950's by Brookhaven National Laboratory to ensure that dose equivalents received or committed remained within U.S. Federal Radiation Council Guidelines for members of the general public. Body burden and dose equivalent histories along with activity ingestion patterns post return are presented. Dosimetrie methods, results, and internal dose equivalent distributions for subgroups of the population are also described.

No abstract

No abstract

External radiation measurements were made at several atolls in the northern Marshall Islands, which are known or suspected to have been the recipients of tropospheric fallout during the Pacific Testing Programs. Sufficient data were available to ascertain realistic dose predictions for the inhabitants of Rongelap and Utirik Atolls where the 30 year integral doses from external sources exclusive of background radiation were 0.65 and 0.06 rem respectively. These estimates are based on realistic lifestyle models based on observations of each atoll community. Ailuk and Wotje Atolls were found to be representatives of regional background radiation levels.

No abstract