.
-1éremoved surgically from some of the burned areas for microscopic study.
These pieces
of skin demonstrate the typical findings of radiation injury, Some of the skin burns
became infected particularly those on the feet and were treated locally by cleansing
and applications of antibiotic ointments,
The skin burns healed in most cases with
return of normal color and texture of the skin end in some cases scars were left
with depignented areas.
aged man.
The worst burn occurred on the back of the ear of a middle
It produced a permanent scar with absence of pignent and abnormal blood
vessels and a slight horny growth of the
overlying skin has developed.
The skin
has been carefully observed at 6 months, 12 months, 2 years and 3 years after exposure and there is no evidence at the present time of any breakdown in the early
burns of the skin,
There is no evidence of the development of cancer at this time.
In some the depigmented scars are still evident,
The individuals have been seen on
‘two occasions by a plastic surgeon, Dr. Bradford Cannon of the Harvard Medical School
who feels that no plastic repair is necessary and that the prognosis in general is
good.
FACTORS INFLUSNHCING SEVERITY OF THE LESIONS
Certain lessons were learned from the Marshallese experience,
Burns were caused by direct contact of the radioactive material with the skin.
The perspiration as common in the tropics, the delay in decontamination and the
difficulties in decontamination certainly favored thecevelopment of the skin burns.
Those individuals who remained indoors or under trees during the fallout developed
less severe skin burns.
The children who went wading in the ocean developed fever
lesions of the feet and most of the Americans who were more aware of the dangers
of the fallout, took shelter in aliminim buildings and bathed end changed clothes.
Consequently they developed only very mild beta burns.
Lestly a single layer of
cotton meterial offered almost complete protection as was dezonstrated by the fact
that skin burns developed almrost entirely on the exposed parts of the body.
The pro-
gnosis of beta skin burns and radiation burns of the skin is excellently described
DOE ARCHIVES
A