C.W. Mays - Page 14
In the Marshall Islands, twelve children under five
years of age were exposed to heavy fallout in 1954.
Their total body gamma-ray dose was about 175 rads
while their thyroid dose from iodine 131 is estimated
at roughly onereese
Of these twelve children, two
have become hrp:thyroid with marked growth retardation,
while five others have developed adenomatoid goiters.
No thyroid abnormalitics have been observed in the 75
unexposed comparison children from nearby islands.??
Concerning the ot.
George children, it is uncertain
whether their incidences of non-malignant thyroid
abnormalities, such as thyroiditis and thyroid nodules,
were influenced by iodine 131 irradiation.?
it is
also unknown whether these abnormalities might later
have progressed into cancers if not discovered in the
course of the Utah study and treated surgically.
CONCLUSION
What are the effects of low doses of iodine 131 in
children?
How safe is the Federal Radiation Council's
new Protective Action Guide for thyroid doses of 30 rads
to individual infants and ten rads to groups of infants??®
Proper study of the Utah children might provide at least
partial answers to these questions.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The following individuals made comments on a
preliminary draft of this paper.
These comments were
very helpful in preparing the final manuscript,
although not all suggested changes could be incorporated.
The suggestions of some reviewers conflicted sharply
with those of others.
The listing of reviewers does not
imply their agreement or disagreement with this paper.
It simply acknowledges my appreciation for their help.
Comments were received from: Robert C. Pendleton, Ray
D. Lloyd, Charles L. Duvhon, R. John Garner, E.A. Martell,
Victor L. archer,
Leo D. riarinelli, Koger McClellan,
DOE ARCHIVES
S/