-2}-
—
Fertility
Effects of radiation exposure on fertility is difficult to assess in the
Mershellese,.
If there has been any effect on fertility it must have been very short
lived since pregnancies are occurring normally and at rate similar to other groups
of Marshallese.
Pregnancy
There tas been’no appsrent effects of radiation on the course of pregnancy
in the Marshallese.
Since the delivery of the four women who were pregnant at the
time cf the event, there have been twelve pregnancies which have terminated.
Ten
of these térninated normally, one terminated in a stillbirth end one baby died
several hours after birth apparently of an infection of the cord.
tal statistics makes this data difficult to interpret.
The leck of
However it does not
appear that this incidence cf still births is greater than that of other comparable
native groups in the mid Pacific area.
Effects on the Fetus
The three babies irradiated in-utero have not shown any abnormalities such
as was observed in ome of the Japanese tabies irradiated in-utero (for example
microcephaly). .
Growth and Development
On each resurvey the exposed and control children have heen metched forage
and sex,
Measurements on growth and development have been carried out.
measurements have been incompletely anelysed as yet.
Anthropometri
Since the nuubers of children
are smal] the data is not easily subjected to statistical analysis.
However there
does appear to be evidence suggestive of a slight impadrment of srowth and develop=
ment as measured by comparison of height and weight in the control and exposed children.
No abnormalities of the eyes have been observed.
Shortening of Life Span
.
Inmimals the evidence for shortening of life span is quite good,
DOE ARCHIVES
It is