45

Table 25

Analysis of Coconut Crabsfor Sr* and Cs'*’
Per kg
Crab No.
l

2

Tissue ,

Sr”?,pC

Cs*7,pC

Liver
Exoskeleton
Muscle (edible)
Remainingsoft parts

4,400
172,502
5,757
5,631

2,679
94,074
4,994
4,470

Total crab

70,703

39,292

Liver

2,287

Ca,g

Sr®, pC

Cs*7,pC

=—Ca,g

Sr, pC/g Ca

6.88
198.39
6.57
6.56

999
68,285
1,708
516

608
37,239
1,482
410

1.56
78.53
1.95
0.60

639
869
876
858

81.71

71,508

39,739

82.64

865

5.80

571

295

0.75

764

Exoskeleton
Muscle (edible)

123,318
3,980

95,724
5,757

197.75
5.50

45,287
937

35,154
1,355

72.62
1.30

0.60

825

Total crab

57,766

45,318

91.94

47,292

37,101

75.27

628

0.48

847

0.30

692

Remaining soft parts

3

4,428

Total

Liver

5,711

8,650

3,414

5431

6.92

10.21

497

335

297

502

Exoskeleton
Muscle(edible)

146,956
6,010

143,758
12,716

187.90
7.74

30,817
978

30,146
2,069

39.40
1.26

Total crab

64,847

66,234

83.09

32,341

33,033

41.44

Remaining soft parts

4,316

6,475

Summarizing Discussion
HEALTH STATUS

Medical evaluation of the health status of the
exposed Rongelap people over the years since the
accident has revealed about the sameincidenceof
illness and disease as in the unexposed population
with the exceptions noted below. General health

and nutrition has continued to be satisfactory and
comparable to that of the unexposed comparison
population. Annual hematological follow-up
studies have revealed that the levels of white
cells and platelets of the peripheral blood in the
exposed group have never quite reachedthelevels
of the unexposed comparison population. This was
again demonstrated in the 9 and 10-year surveys
and canbe readily seen in the accumulative distribution curves (Figures 23 and 35).
Bone marrow examinationsofa few individuals
at 9 and 10 years post exposure showed a reduced
myeloid-erythroid ratio with slight increase of immature red and white cells in some cases. There
has been no indication that these findings have

impaired the general health or response to disease

in the exposed people.

2008026

6.23

211

316

623
723

782
776

780

MORTALITY
There were 10 deaths in the exposed population
over the 10-year period. Of these, two deaths were
due to malignancies. Neither of these could be
ascribed reasonably to radiation exposure. The
somewhathigher death rate in the exposed group
is partly offset by the higher proportion of older
people, those >65 years of age being 20% in the
exposed group and only 7% in the unexposed
group. This mortality rate is also higher than in
the Marshallese as a whole, but notsignificantly
so. Evaluation ofeffects of exposure on longevity
in this group must await future findings.
AGING

No specific aging studies were carried out during the past two surveys, but attempts were made
during several previous surveys to put on a quantitative basis variouscriteria of aging (skin elasticity, skin looseness, hand strength, blood pressure,

arteriosclerosis, accommodation and arcussenilis
of the eyes, greyness of hair, degree of baldness,

etc.). No detectable radiation-induced agingeffects have been noted. Aging scores evaluatedat 6

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