AQUB SN | | (ol ~TAEA*SM-118/8 & oy \ i a TITYROID NODULES AS A LATE EFFECT OF EXPOSURE TO FALLOUT * R.A. CONARD! w.w. SUTOW? B,P, COLCOCK? B.M,. DOBYNS* D.E. PAGLIA® o; we 6S Set = oS + THY ROW) NODULES An A LATIOEPE UOT OF LSAT TO PALLOUT, otulliple nodules of the thyroid piand have developed thon Miarsiadioss population 10 to p-b years after accidental cagenuec te oo ac cadteactive fallout, = 2 pp &§© BesO <= Cs abnormalitues, Gu 'g ~ K Pufévie During the past 5 years thyroid abnormalities have developed in a Marshallese population who were accidentally exposed to radioactive fallout Bais in 1954, "unexpected shift in winds. occurred high aloft and instead of the cloud going in a northerly direccion over the open sea, it veered to the east dropping radioactive fallout on several inhabited islands. The fallout exposure of the Marshallese people was different in many respects from Research supported by the U.S, Atomic Energy Commission. Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, N.Y. we FOLDER NA - the exposure of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the effects of the atom bomb detonated over Japan. In Japan the. injuries were produced by direct irradiation from gamma rays and neutrons, and from physical M,D, Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute, Houston, Tex, Lahey Clinic, Boston, Mass. ClevelandMetropolitan General Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio. The Center for the Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Calif., United States of America. 325 seer ee BOX No. REPOSITORY The accident occurred when a thermonuclear device was detonated at Bikini in the Pacific ?roving Grounds. The yield was larger than expected and since the fireball touched the ground, a large amount of incinerated coral and debris was mixed with the radioactive cloud. An Uae “Bul. Kecozdas EL Stans COLLECTION SOARALL a. since LUG a cotal of 20 cases have dius far been detected, 17 In children exposed at lor than LU years ot aye (1055 of that pronp) and 4am adulis, Thyrofd surgery on JL children and adults revealed that all bad benign adcnuinaious nodules except fur a mixed papillary and felllcular carcmorna In a 40-year-old woman. The benign noduics were siinilar to those associated with todine deficiency, bur such deficiency was not apparent in the Marshallese who live largely on scafood, However, most pathologists could not distinguish definite radiation effects in the nodulcs. Growth and development retardation in some of the exposed children is now clearly rclated to thyroid deficiency, Two boys with the greatest growth retardation devcloped pronounced hypothyroidism with atrophy of their thyroid glands. Treatment of the exposed group with thyroid hormone appears to be enhancing growth in the children and reduced nodule formation in a few cases, Hopefully such treatment will also reduce the risk for development of thyroid cancer since this group undoubtedly has a higher risk for such malignancy. Results of a medical survey of these people carried out in March 1969 are also presented. Sgt AEA a REE Sg NPgOROR A ORaN IRE EEE Oe pew et epee . 22 H = es om ey we A ca | eee —: ae gC Py ete me A ag met Ee ee ee en Qo © “. Pl a Che capusare occurred ja bod when an uepredicigd stile in wards caused deposition of falluut on several Marshall Kiands cast of Dikini. Sixty-four people received 175 taus of gamma radi+ ation which proved to be sub-lethal but rested in carly nausea and vomiting and significant depression of blood elements, Exposure of the skin resulted in “beta burns” and epilation, and there was significant internal absorption of fission isotopes from contaminated food and water, The most serious internal exposure was from radioiodines (171, '?1, 131, '81), Ik was estimated that in addition tothe gamma radiation the adult thyroid gland received 160 rads from radioiodines and the young children, because of thelr considerably smaller glands, an cstimated 700-1400 rads. Recovery of blood clements to nearly normal and I:caling of skin lesions with regrowth of hair was complete by one year. These findings have been fully documented, The most important late radiation effect has been the development of thyroid hud wee ¢ = we os OU Altract ad wre ee or.ee eT ee ee - — Tr