EFFECTS OF IONIZING RADIATION

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deposition. For example, clinical studies have
shownthat following radiumdepositionin bone,
atypical osseous tissue is formed in cancellous
bone. These formations appear as areas of increased density in roentgenograms (8).
It is difficult to interpret the anomalyin the
pig, described above, and the dense trabecular
bone in both the pig and chicken. No normal
controls are available for comparison with these
animals, and the history of the animals fromthe
time of exposure to the time of collection is
not known. Severe dietary changes and disease
also produce changes in the pattern of deposition of osseoustissue, and such changesare often
indistinguishable from changes produced by
exposure to radiation.
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Pathology

Sections of lung, liver andtibia, as well as
thyroid and other endocrine organs of most of
the fowl] and pigs dying spontaneously or sacrificed, were prepared. A few pathological
changes were found including an aplastic marrow none duck. However, none of the changes

could definitely be ascribed to radiation.

Sec-

tions of bone examined by Lisco at the ANL
also indicated no detectable pathological
changes.
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Figure 5.3.—Autoradiograph of tibia and femur of
baby chick sacrificed 46 days post-detonation
(ANL).

Egg Production in Chickens

In birds, extraordinary demands are made on
the calcium metabolism in the production of
egg shell. It was, therefore, of particular interest to observe, during the process of egg production, the metabolism of those internally deposited radioelements which are metabolically
similar to calcium.
Forty-four days after detonation, a group of
hens from Rongelap began laying eggs for the
first time since their collection. During the
next month and a half, 319 eggs were laid by
13 hens. All of the eggs were normal, except
for two eggs from one hen which were laid
without shells. The shells were complete,
smooth and of normal shape. The weights of
the eggs ranged from 30 grams to 64 grams,

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