39

Marshallese children appears similar, on a risk per
rad basis. to that in the x-raved children studied
by Hempelmann. 107-109 Risk for thyroid cancerin
the Rongelap people is also similar to that reported for other populations.
The data in Table 25 indicate that at the dose

dence of thyroid lesions and the estimated dose to
the gland. Onthe basis of the incidence per rad in
the high exposure Rongelap children, about 2
children with adenomas would be expected in the
Ailingnae group, where 2 were noted. and 4 in the
Utirik group, where none was found. The lower
effectiveness per rad in the Utirik children may be

levels involved there is a correlation between inci-

Table 33
Percent Incidence of Thyroid Lesions (20 Years Observation)
Age at exposure
<10 yr

Group

Benign

Rongelap

> 10 yr

Cancer

84.2

Ailingnae
Rongelap & Ailingnae
Utirik

3.3

33.3
76.0
0.0

X-rayed children (17 yr)!0?
X-rayed children, low dose (17 yr)'07

33.3
15.8
3.1

1.8x 10-5 (all ages)
2.5 « 10-5 (all ages)

5.4

4.3
0.13

1.0
0.36-1.7

Cancer

11.1

0.0
4.0
0.0

28.0
3.0

Marshallese controls
Worldwide av. 108
United States?

Benign

4.4

0.0
3.5
1.0

1.8 x 10-5 (all ages)
2.5 10-5 (all ages)

0.5-1.6

Table 34

Risk" of Radiation-Induced Thyroid Lesions (Cases per 10® man-vears per rad)
Age at exposure
< 10 yr

Group(years follow-up)

Dose range, rads (type)

> 10 yr

Benign

Cancer

Dose range,rads

Benign

Cancer

379
135-190
327
31

10.5
151.1
22.5
89.2

7.0
0
6.4
17.8

Rongelap (20)
Ailingnae (20)
Rongelap & Ailingnae (20)
Ctirik (20)

710-1150 (IB,y)
280- 450 (I8,y)
280-1150 (IB, y)
60- 95 (18, y)

41.9
43.6
42.1
0

2.6
0
2.3
0

Rochester (17)!07
Ann Arbor (17)!97
Beach & Dolphin (20)!23
UNSCEAR (17)124

335 (av.) (x rays)
20 (av.) (x rays)
(x rays)
100— 300 (x rays)

64.0
24.0

55
2.2
1.7
0.5-15

ABCC(20)19!

ABCC (20)191

~

20-1000 (y, 7)

<20

1.3 (all ages)

(y, 1)

0.2 (ali ages)

“Risk is calculated from the equation

.
No. of cases x 108
Risk = ~————___—___- ,

or, alternatively,

dose X years at risk

No. of cases x 108

Risk = No. of subjects X mean dose x mean No. ofyears atrisk’
Both equations give almost identical results for the Marshallese because of the uniformity of the data. No correction

has been madefor expected number ofcases because the expectation among unexposed subjects is too low to affect the

results (see Table 33).

Select target paragraph3