III
ET
---- S counts 8 males exposed at <5 yrs old
—— Count on No. 54 exposed at } yr old
65
{AML 1972)
—-— Unexposed maies of same age
WHOx ta!
interesting that radiochemical analysis of bone
samples showed 9Sr levels about the same as in
people living in New York.
\
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Lymphoe vtes
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| —— Couns on No. 54 exposed at| yr ol
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old
(AML 1972) ;
7 |
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} Months
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3.47
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——-- X of males exposed at <5 yrs old
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No. 54 exposed at | yr old (AML 1972)
—-— Unexposed males of same age
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Neut/lymph
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|Months}_———_——— Years ——__________|
Time after exposure
Figure 52. Mean levels of WBC, lymphocytes, neutro-
phils, platelets, hematocrit, and neutrophil/lymphocyte
ratio for subject with leukemia (No. 54, solid line in each
case) compared with those of exposed (-——) and unexposed (—--— —) boys in sameage range, over 18 years since
exposure.
Retrospective study ofhematological data. The hematological data gathered over the 18-year period on
the subject with leukemia (No. 54) were compared
with the mean levels of 8 other Rongelap boys exposed at <5 years of age and of 8 unexposed boys
in the sameage range (Figure 52). The percentage
differences in mean peripheral blood levels between
subject No. 54 and his exposed peers are given in
Table 36 for the first year and for the subsequent
years. The subject with leukemia showed greater
depression of neutrophils both during the immediate post-exposure period and in subsequentyears.
Theleast difference appeared to be in the erythropoietic system. Morphological! studies of peripheral
blood smears revealed nosignificant abnormalities
until the developmentof leukemia; unfortunately
no bone marrow examinations had been made
before.
Since the Marshallese children are pronetofrequentinfections associated with granulocytosis, it
was of interest to compare this response in the subject with leukemia and in the other exposed boys.
The records showed that the white cell count ex-
ceeded 10,000 a total of 36 times in 131 counts
(27%) in the other 8 exposed boys and only once
in 18 counts (5%) in subject No. 54. However,if
this indicated a reduction in marrow reserve in
this boy, the reduction apparently was insufficient
to result in anyillness serious enoughto require
hospitalization.
,
Other data related to leukemia were generally negative in subject No. 54, including alkaline
phosphatase levels of neutrophils, basophil counts,
Australia antigen, and blood proteins (except for
a slightly elevated gammaglobulin level, whichis
commonin the Marshallese). Chromosomestudies of the peripheral blood made 12 years after exposure and of the bone marrow duringhis terminalillness did not show aneuploidyor structural
changes of the chromosomes. However,increased
chromosomebreakage (11% of the cells) was noted
terminally, which may have beenrelated to radiation exposure to chemotherapy,or possibly to his
disease.
Discussion. It is possible that radiation exposure was involved in the etiology of leukemia in
subject No. 54. Radiation exposure has long been
associated with the developmentofthis disease (in
physicians, particularly radiologists,!47:!48 in pa-