THYROID LESIONS

IN MARSHALLESE EXPOSED

(AS OF SEPT. 1972)®

TO FALLOUT

Marshall Island group

Age at

Estimated
thyroid

Thyroid
lesions

Thyroid

Malignant
lesions

(vadiation dose-pamma)

exposure

dose -rads

percent

surpery

percent

Rongelap (175 rads

gamma exposure)

Rongelap (on Ailingnae

Island-69 rads gamma
exposure)

Utirik? (14 rads gamma

< 10
11-20
> 20
all

500-1400
335-500
335
-

< 10

200-500

1323
-

12.5 (1/8)
14.3 (2/14)

< 10

40-80

0.0 (0/55)

0

~

5.8 (4/69)
3.2 (4/124)

s 10
all

22

89,5
12.516.5
39.6

(17/19)
(1/8)
(3/26)
(21/53)

16.6 (1/6)

15
0
2
17
0

1
L.

-

-

-

exposure)

+ 10
all

Rongelap unexposed

< 10
> 10
all

-

0.0 (0/61)
3.8 (5/133)
2.6 (5/194)

0
1
l

-

Likiep unexposed

< 10
> 10

-

0.0 (0/3i)
4.7 (5/106)

0
0

-

all

lnose from
2

131, 132, 133, 135 I

Based on number living.

-

3.6 (5/137)

L
l

5.3 (1/19)
7.7 (2/26)
5.7 (3/53)

_ 0

1.4 (1/69)
0.8 (1/124)

-

plus gamma dose

,
In parentheses number of cases/total number in group.

Fone child 10-17 years of age at exposure received estimated thyroid doses between
132 and 200 rads.
+Pifteen children 10-17 years of age at exposure in this group received estimated

thyroid doses between 22 and 40 rads.

>the more energetic shorter-lived isotopes of todine contributed less to the total

thyroid dose in the Utirik people due to later fallout. One might surmise therefore
that the blologleal effectLvenesa of the thyredd dona per vad would he leva tn thae
group.

Orn addition to thyroid

lesions,

one case of acute myelogenous

leukemia was discovered

in a 19-year-old Rongelap boy who had received 175 rad gamma radiation at 1 year of age.

235

0505

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