ls
T OID LESIONS IN MARSHALLESE, EXPO97”
(AS OF MAY, 1974).
~~
TO FALLOUT
te
/
Thyroid l
dose-rads
Thyroid
Lesions
Percent
Estimated
Marshall Island Group
(radiation dose-gamma)
Age at
Exposure
Rongelap (175 rads
gamma exposure)
In-utero
<10
175 + ?
675 - 1440
33.3 (1/3)
89.5 (17/19)
Rongelap
(on Ailingne
Island -69 rads gamma
!P-YERE
>16
88
t feo
132
3978
(2644
16.6 (2/12
11-16
>16
all
-
exposure)
all
335 - 675
335
4
-
Utirik’ (14 rads gamma
<10
40,- 80
Rongelap unexposed
<10
-
all
-
exposure)
>10
all
>10
Likiep unexposed (1970)
<10
all
Lose fron LOL,
LIZ,
259,
Malignant
Lesions
Percent
Thyroid
Surgery -
12.5 (1/8)
8.1 (3/37)
32.8 (21/64)
15
1
3
17
§.3 (1/19)
5.4 (2/37)
4.7 (3/64)
22.2 (4/18)
2
3
.-
0.0 (0/53)
0
-
22
-
-
§.8 (6/104)
3.2 (5/157)
4
4
1.6 (1/61)
0
3.6 (7/194)
2
0.0 (0/31)
0
3.6 (5/137)
0
4.5 (6/133)
-
-
4.7 (5/106)
-
2
0
1.0 (1/104)
0.6 (1/157)
-
-
-
-
-
jay plus gamma dose
2Rased on number of original people exposed.
in group.
In parentheses number of cases/total number
3the thyroid is considered fully developed by age 16.
4
Difference of opinion as to wnether or not one lesion was malignant.
was that it was benign.
o
«
.
-
.
.
Majority opinion
>the more energetic shorter-lived isotopes of iodine contributed less to the total
thyroid dose in the Utirik people due to late r fallout.
One might surmise also that the
biological effectiveness of the thyroid dose per rad would be less in that group.
OF ifteen children 10-17 years of age at exposu re in this group received estimated thyroid
doses between 22 and 40 rads.
7
In addition to thyroid lesions, one case of a cute myelogenous leukemia was discovered
in September 1972 in a 19-year-old Rongelap b oy who had received 175 rad gamma radiation
at one year of age.
He died November, 1972.