Hematogical Effeet:
STATE OF I
HEMATOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON HEAVILY
IRRADIATED JAPANESE FISHERMEN
TosHIyvuk! KuMaToal
The fishermen were im
(i) From the radioacti
(2) Externally from th
(3)
the deck etc.
Internally from th
The diameters of the f
Division of Radiation Health,
National Institute
of Radiological Sciences
reef fragments, ranged fron
+
1934). According to the
March, rare-earth elements
Chiba, Japan
activity and uranium contril
INTRODUCTION
On | March in 1954, a thermonuclear test explosion was performed by
the United States Authorities at Bikini Lagoon in the Pacific Ocean. At that
time one Japanese fishing boat “the 5th Fukuryu-maru” was located at about
90 miles east from explosion center. The boat was nearly 100 tons and 23
fishermen aged from 18 to 39 were on board.
At about 3:40a.m., while they were occupied in fishing tuna they saw
a huge red light in the west and heard a detonation several minutes later.
specific activity of the mate
of these data, a value of 1.
a.m. on 1 March. The €
internally deposited racioa
However, radiation fr
lesions. External radiatior
exposure dose for 14 days
cent of these doses was re
on the results of the exp
decay curves of many pl
At about 7:00 a.m. white material began to fall, which continued for ap-
Table 1
proximately 5 hours. They gave up fishing and returned to their mother
port on 14 March 1954.
Esti
Subject No.
T-1
red
bo
After landing, all the fishermen were found to have been injured by the
radioactive materials. Seven of them were hospitalized to the Tokyo University Hospital and the other 16 were received by the First National Hospital
of Tokyo by 28 March. They were discharged from both hospitals in May
1955, except for one fatal case who died on 23 September 1954.
After being
discharged we continued the follow-up studies so far as possible on annual
basis.
However, mainly because of the varied status of their occupations and
widely distributed addresses, it was not always possible to get them all to-
gether fur medical examination.
Medical data of the fishermen have been reported several times (Mryvosut
and Kustatorr, 1955; Koyama et al., 1955; Mrxamo et al., 1956; Mrrosut and
Kumatort, 1962; Kesatorr and Mryvosu1, 1963; Mryosnr and Kumatoat, 1964;
Kumatorr et al., 1963).
FALLING OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
Nuring the falling of the white materials, when its intensity was greatest,
these persons were unable to keep their mouths and eyes open.
prints were clearly marked on the deck covered by fallout.
Their foot-
*
T-3 put the fall-out m
added in total.