13
|
|
|
{
|
I
T
s
45-
-
40
-4
PLATELETS x 10
dropped about 23% in the exposed population.
However, the present controls had counts about
equally below those of last year’s control group.
The numbers of lymphocytes are slightly below
the unexposedlevels for both age groups (Table
6 and Figure 9). Figure 10 showsa greaterdistribution of counts below the mean controllevel.
The cumulative distribution curve (Figure 11)
shows the exposed countsto bestill slightly displaced to the left of the unexposed counts. In the
exposed group three people had absolute lymphocyte counts of less than 1500, compared to onein
the unexposed group. There was a slight drop in
the mean lymphocyte count this year compared
with last year’s (about 13%), but the countinthis
year’s control population was similarly below that
of last year’s control population.
T
—4
35K °
4
MEAN COUNTS
{NON ~EXPOSED)
30-28 *.
*
«
25-
e-
e
*
20-F
e
.
ish
*
e
°
iol
~
e
ee
1
4
_4
e
J
e
I
10
Qo
L
20
!
30
+
i
40
50
AGE (YR)
|
60
j
70
l
80
90
Figure 13, Platelets three years post-exposure,
Rongelap males.
45
PLATELETS x i07*
40
35
c
.
3 YR CONTROL
{RONGELAP NON-EXPOSED)
30
Z
25
20
0
i¢o9
20
3
{
46
530
60
70
AGE (YR)
806
90
Figure 14. Platelets three years post-exposure.
Rongelap females.
PERIOD MI
COUNTS
(DAYS 26-30)
CUMULATIVE PERCENT
100
RONGELAP UNEXPOSED
3 YEARS POST EXPOSURE
5
is
2)
29
#37
PLATELETS x 10%
45
£453
«GI
Figure 15. Platelets, cumulative, Rongelap,all ages.
Eosinophils were elevated in both the exposed
and the control groups. In the exposed groups
56% of the eosinophil counts were above 5%. In
the unexposed group nearly as many (48%)
showed counts above 5%.
Monocytes were at about the samelevelas in
the unexposed group, but, as with the other white
cells, the mean count waslower thanlast year’s.
The mean piatelet counts wereslightly below the
unexposed level (Table 6 and Figure 12). The
greatest difference was seen in the males >10
years of age with mean counts about 18% below
the unexposedlevel. These differences are apparent in Figures 13 and 14, which show theagedistribution of individual counts around the unexposed mean curves. Figure 15 shows that the
cumulative distribution curves in the exposed
groupsarestill slightly displaced to the left. Two
people (3.2%) in the exposed group hadplatelet
counts below 150,000 (compared with fourlast
year), and one (1.2%) in the unexposed group.
Nine (14%) in the exposed group had countsless
than 200,000, compared with five (5.9%) in the
unexposed group. [There were three (2.3%) this
low in the Utirik group.]
Basophils were about the samein the exposed
and unexposed groups and showedlittle change
since a year ago. Counts of basophils in 4000 white
cells were carried out as a base-line study for
leukemia. In studies on the Japanese exposed to
the atom bombs’® it was noted that early in the
development of leukemia an increase in basophils
in the peripheral blood occurred. No high counts