14
Table 3
Mortality
Exposed
Year
Subject Age
No.
&sex
1956
25
44M
1959
62.
6OF
1962
1962
46 84M
2%. 21M
1957
1958
1962
1962
1963
1963
38
3h.
76M
35M
30§60F
$86 75F
52
55F
57 107F
Unexposed
Probable cause
Year
Subject Age
No.
& sex
Hypertensive heart disease
1988
857
65M
Ovariancan
1960
927
65M
Coronary heart disease, diabetes
Acute varicella
Cancer of
_
7
Arteriosclerotic heart disease
Brain damage
ing fall from tree
Fractured v.
Poliomyelisig,
“Old age’’(?)
oe
bul
1959
1960
854
933
55F
56M
Probable cause
Cerebral thrombosis?)
Infection urinary wact, diabetes
Pneumonia secondary to influenza
Pneumonia secondary to influenza
1960 861 68F
Diabetes, cancer cervix(?)
1963
Asthma(?)
1962
1962
953
848
886
48M
41F
54M
Status asthmaticus
Neurosyphilis(?)
*Not confirmed by autopsy or biopsy.
The birth rate for the past year was calculated
as in the previous surveys from the number of
births per woman of childbearing age (15 to 45
years). There were 23 such women in the exposed
group and 39 in the unexposed group. (Not in-
cluded in either group were 4 unexposed women
whose spouses were exposed males.) For the 2-year
period in the exposed group 8 babies were born,
giving an average of 0.17 births per woman per
year; in the unexposed group 10 babies were born,
giving a slightly lower birth rate per woman (0.13
per year). The births wereall full-term normal deliveries, except one case as noted below.
A review of the entire menstrual and obstetrical
history of the women (examined in 1964) in the
exposed and control groups is given in Table 4. In
20 exposed women there had been total of 136
pregnancies, 19 women delivering 115 living
children for an average of 4.8 babies per woman
for the 24 womenin the group. The samefecun-
dity was noted in the control women, 32 of the 39
women having been pregnant 203 times and delivering 189 living babies, averaging 4.6 children
per mother. The histories of the age of onset of
menstruation and development of menarche were
not too reliable, but the ages of onset for these
events appear to be about the samein the exposed
and the control women.
Table 5 lists the births and feral deaths by year
since 1954 of Rongelap people. Since it was uncertain whether the list of births on Utirik Atoll
obtained during the 1963 survey was complete,it
was not possible to calculate an accurate birth rate
for that group. However, the birth rate seemed to
be about the same as noted in other Marshall
Island populations.
Congenital Anomalies
A full-term stillbirth with congenital anomalies
(ectromelus) was born to exposed parents in 1962.
This anomaly is not very uncommon,and in view
of the statistical evaluation the question ofradia-
tion implication must be left open. One 24-vearoid exposed woman (No. 49) was operated on for
ectopic pregnancyin 1962. A case of congenital
heart defect had been noted in a child born of exposed parents several years ago. This child died at
4+ months of age. Specific genetic studies have not
been conducted on this relatively small population,
and only routine examination of new births has
been done. No unusual incidence of defects has
been noted in the newborn. Some of the defects
noted in both exposed and unexposed children
inelude patent ductus arteriosus, congenital deformity of the hip, and congenital hypoplasia of
the middie phalanx of the 5th finger.
Miscarriages and Stillbirths
Except for the one ectopic pregnancy, no mis-
carriages were reported during the past 2-vear
period. One neonatal death (at 1 month of age}
due to infant diarrhea occurred in a twin born to