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

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