]
|
I
TPP
T
T
E
qv
rT
|
r
rr
|
et
{
*
T
---- X¥ counts 8 males exposed at <5 yrs old
—— Counts on No. 54 exposed at | yr oid
635
(AML 1972)
—-— Unexposed males of same age
7 OF
|
|
= eAg
33
2 5}
3F
i
|
pan
“
|
.
tological data gathered over the 18-year period on
Lymphocytes
x 1O-3
differences in mean peripheral blood levels between
Neutrophils x 1073
subject No. 54 and his exposed peers are given in
Table 36 for the first year and for the subsequent
years. The subject with leukemia showed greater
depression of neutrophils both during the immediate post-exposure period and in subsequentvears.
Theleast difference appeared to be in the erythropoietic system. Morphological studies of peripheral
Timeafter exposure
a
oe Unexposed maies of same age
23 } E.couneon8matesexposed ts
x al
(AML1972)
£ oaths
8 ata’
z TN
old
Lr
Ja
this boy, the reduction apparently was insufficient
to result in any illness serious enough to require
eh el bd
1 2 61
4
8
12
+ Months -—
Years
Time after exposure
16
=
-—— % of males exposed at <5 yrsold
1
—— No. 54 exposed at | yrold (AML1972)
—-— Unexposed males of same age
|
& ooh
it
3 sit
1.0
hospitalization.
.
Other data related to leukemia were gener- °
ally negative in subject No. 54, including alkaline
phosphatase levels of neutrophils, basophil counts,
Australia andgen, and blood proteins (except for
a slightly elevated gammaglobulin level, whichis
commonin the Marshallese). Chromosomestudies of the peripheral blood made 12 years after exposure andof the bone marrow duringhis terminalillness did not show aneuploidy or structurai
changes of the chromosomes. However, increased
Rg
fa
0.5
ns er er
On 261
4
B
2
6
iMonths}
Years
|
Time after exposure
Figure 32, Mean levels of WBC, lymphocytes, neutrophils, platelets, hematocrit, and neutrophil/lymphocyte
ratio for subject with leukemia (No. 54, solid line in each
case) compared with those of exposed (—-—) and unexposed (———) boys in same age range,over 18 years since
exposure.
IOC bo?
Since the Marshallese children are pronetofrequent infections associated with granulocytosis, it
was of interest to compare this response in the subject with leukemia andin the other exposed boys.
The records showedthat the white cell count ex-
this indicated a reduction in marrow reserve in
;
mT r 77 ees an ae a a
=
before.
ceeded 10,000 a total of 36 times in 131 counts
356
3.0k
\
25H
until the developmentof leukemia; unfortunately
(27%) in the other 8 exposed boys and only once
in 18 counts (5%) in subject No. 54. However,if
& aol
304
blood smears revealed no significant abnormaiities
no bone marrow examinations had been made
4
0
45+
zZ
samples showed 9°Sr levels about the sameas in
eople living g in New York.
peop
,
Retrospective study ofhematological
data. The hema-
the subject with leukemia (No. 54) were compared
_ with the meanlevels of 8 other Rongelap boys exposed at <5 years of age and of 8 unexposed boys
in the same age range (Figure 52). The percentage
-— Months Years ——_—__-_
=
interesting that radiochemical analysis of bone
chromosome breakage (11% of the cells) was noted
terminally, which may havebeenrelated to radia-
tion exposure to chemotherapy, or possibly to his
Discussion. It is possible that radiation exposure was involved in the etiology of leukemia in
subject No. 54. Radiation exposure has long been
associated with the developmentofthis disease (in
physicians, particularly radiologists,!+7-148 in pa-