Radiation Doses and Cancer Risks in the Marshall Islands Associated with Exposure to Radioactive Fallout from Bikini and Enewetak Nuclear Weapons Tests: Summary

Nuclear weapons testing at Bikini and Enewetak Atolls between 1946 and 1958 exposed the Marshall Islands population to radioactive fallout, with 20 of 66 tests resulting in measurable deposition on inhabited atolls. The study estimated radiation doses for 63 radionuclides across 32 atolls, revealing significant geographic variation: southern atolls received the lowest doses (5–12 mGy for adults), while northern atolls, particularly Utrik and Rongelap Island, experienced much higher internal doses due to short-lived radionuclide intake. External exposure was the primary contributor to red bone marrow and stomach wall doses, except in northern regions where internal thyroid doses reached up to 7,600 mGy for adults on Rongelap Island during the Castle Bravo test. The analysis projected about 170 excess radiation-related cancers among over 25,000 Marshallese, with most already expressed, compared to ~10,600 spontaneous cancers.

Simon, S. L., Bouville, A., Land, C. E., & Beck, H. L. (2010). RADIATION DOSES AND CANCER RISKS IN THE MARSHALL ISLANDS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT FROM BIKINI AND ENEWETAK NUCLEAR WEAPONS TESTS: SUMMARY. Health Physics, 99(2), 105–123. https://doi.org/10.1097/hp.0b013e3181dc523c