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ty
90
Utirik were returned several monthsafter the acci-
dent to their home island, since the level of con-
4
'
45
50
55
60
65
70
75 80
85
levels of activitv in their urine detected byradio-
chemical analysis. Following their evacuation, the
people lived for 3 vears on the uncontaminated
islands of Kwajalein and Majuro. The people of
i
||
:
10
their food and water. The resulting internal radioactive contamination was reflected by significant
“4
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2
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|
MALES
environment and madelittle or no effort to avoid
inhaling the radioactive material or ingestingit in
=
90 95 !00 105
TIME IN MINUTES
Figure 48. Percent distribution of glucose-6-phosphate
dehydrogenase deficiency in males and females {percent
of persons versus decolorization time).
relatively high BAIB values, which suggest that
there may be an Asian focus for the high BAIB
excretor gene.
Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase Determi-
nation. One male (#11) decolorized at 102 min
and wasclassified as positive; three females (+18,
22, and 851) decolorized at 80, 85, and 93 min,respectively, and wereclassified as intermediates. The
distributions are shown in Figure 48.
The glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase defi-
clency appearsto exist in the Rongelap ~opulation, althoughin fairly low frequency. T..2 num-
ber of tests. done was too small for any final con-
clusions to be drawn, andit is important that these
results be confirmed on subsequent visits, par-
ticularly with tests done in the field in order to
eliminate the possibility of sample deterioration
during transport.
:
Radionuclide Body Burden
Evaluation
INTRODUCTION
In considering the evaluation of the radionuclide
body burden of the Rongelap people, the follow. ing facts should be kept in mind. During the two
days that the people remained ontheisland after
the fallout occurred in 1954 (prior to their evacuation), they lived in a radioactively contaminated
tamination there was very low.
The initial body burdens of internal emitters
were estimated from data obtained by radiochemical analysis of the tissues of pigs which had been
simultaneously exposed, and also from a comparison of human and animal urinalysis data.** The
mean body burden at one day wasestimated(in
uC) as Sr*?, 1.6; Ba'*®, 2.7; I'*', 6.4, and the rare
earth group together, 1.2. The contribution ofthis
amount of internal contamination is small com-
pared to the 175 r external gammadosereceived.
In the first few monthsfollowing this acute expo-
sure, Sr°? and [**' (plus the shorter-lived iodjne
isotopes) contributed the greatest internal radia-
tion dose. Sr** contributed the major portion of
the beta dose to the skeleton at this early time.
The highest dose to an individualtissue (100 to
150 rep) was delivered to the thyroid by ['*' and
the shorter-lived isotopes, I***, ['98, and I*35.
In the spring of 1957, 3 years after the accident,
four Rongelap people, two Uurik people and one
unexposed Marshall Islander were taken to
Argonne National Laboratory, and gamma spec-
trographic analyses were carried out in a wholebodycounter. Distinct photopeaks indicating the
presence of significant levels of Cs'*’? and Zn®*
were detected in the spectra of exposed Rongelap
people and the unexposed subject.*:°* This experience demonstrated the feasibility of using in vivo
whole-body counting techniques for estimating
body burdens in these people. In the following
year, 1958, a “portable” stee! room and a wholebody gamma spectrometer were constructed at
Brookhaven National Laboratory which could be
transported to the Marshall Islandsfor use in further studies.
In July 1957, after careful radiological surveys
which showed the island of Rongelap to be safe
for habitation, the people were returned and
settled in acompletely new village which had
been constructed for them. Lowlevels of contami-
nation persisted on the island, which havesince