4
lated directly to radiation effects during thefirst
few years post exposure. No prophylactic or specific therapy for radiation effects was ever considered necessary or given. Epidemics of chicken
pox and measles that occurred during the first

year showed nogreater incidenceor severity in the
exposed than in the unexposed Marshalles people.
During the first months post exposure about %
of the exposed people exhibited Joss ofweight of several pounds. This may possibly have been related
to their radiation exposure, although it wasdifficult to rule out possible effects due to changeof
environment.
At 3 years post exposure the immune response to
primary and secondary tetanus antitoxin was

tested and found notto be significantly different in

the exposed compared with the unexposed populations.
There were 10 deathsin the exposed popula-

tions over the 10-year period (see Table 6). Of

these, 2 deaths were recorded as due to malignancies. The 10 deaths that have occurred in the exposed population represent a mortality rate of 12.2
per 1000 population per annum, comparedwith
8.3 for the Marshall Islands as a whole (1960).
The somewhat higher death rate in the exposed
group is partly offset by the higher proportion of
older people; those >65 years of age wereoriginally 20% in the exposed group and only 7% in the
unexposed group.
Growth and development studies on the children
(height, weight, anthropometric measurements,
and radiographic studies for bone age) haverevealed slight retardation ir growth and development in the boys exposed on Rongelap who were
<12 years of age at the time of exposure, particularly those 12 to 18 months of age at exposure.
Only slight immaturity was noted in the female
children of this group. In studies of children born
of exposed parent(s), it was noted that males
showed slight growth retardation and slightly
lower levels of peripheral blood elements compared with male children of unexposed parents,
however, this latter finding has not been evident
since 1963. The slight growth difference does not
appear to justify a conclusion that there is an association with exposure of the parent.
It was difficult to evaluate the effects on fertility.
However, a review of the birth rate of the exposed
groups over the past !0 years seemsto indicate no
noticeable effects of their exposure on fertility. The

50 births represent a rate of 61 per 1000 pepulation per annum compared with 37.3 for the Mar-

shall Islands (957%. The incidence of miscarriages
and stillbirths in these exposed women wasabout

twice that in the unexposed women during the

first 4 years after exposure, but no difference has |
been noted since then (see Table8).

A cardiovascularsurvey ofthe adults (1959)' showed
no outstandingdifferences between the exposed
and unexposed groups. The Marshallese people
appeared to haveless hypertension on the whole

than is noted in people in the continental United
States.

An arthritis survey (1959)' showed nogreat differences between the exposed and the unexposed
people, and about the sameincidenceasis seen in
American populations.
Ophthalmological surveys showed no remarkable
differences between the exposed and unexposed
groups except possibly a slightly greater numberof
cases of pterygia, pingueculae, and cornealscars
in the exposed groups. It is not known whether
these findings are of anysignificance in relation to
their radiation exposure. Slit-lamp observations
showed no opacities of the lens characteristic of
radiation exposure. As a whole, visual and accommodationlevels in the Marshallese appeared to be
above the averagein the U.S. population.
Dental surveys’ showed nosignificant differences
in caries rate between exposed and unexposed
groups. However, the incidence and severity of
peridontal disease wasslightly greater in the exposed group. It is not known whetheror not this
finding is related to radiation effects. The poor
oral hygiene generally observed in the Marshallese
had its usual results, namely, high caries rate in

teen-age children, severe peridontal lesions in

adults (heavy calculus and loss of alveolar bone),

and edentulous mouthsin the aged. Radiation exposure did not appearto have affected developing

dentition in the exposed

*Idren.

Aging studies were dom.
which various parameters usually associated with aging were measured
or estimated on a 0 to 4+ scale (skin looseness,

elasticity, and senile changes; graying of the hair
and balding; accommodation, visual acuity, and

arcus senilis; hearing; cardiovascular changesin-

cluding blood pressure and degrees of peripheral

and retinal arteriosclerosis; neuromuscular func-

tion; and hand strength). Comparison of these

measurements in exposed and unexposedindivid-

Select target paragraph3