yaa Leer rmypy ee es
25
opia. Also notable was their lack of retinolblastioas, nalignant melanomas of the chucoid, and
basal cell carcinoma of the eyelids. Ocular patholouy caused by herpes simplex or Zoster viruses was
not acen, No cases of retinal detachment occurred
exeeptin two people asa sequela of ocular surgery,
Corneal scars, macular degeneration, vitreous
Hloatess, and other degenerative intraocular condi
tions were seen in about the numbers expected in
any part of the workh No Terucard infestation or
ather intraocular parasies have been cheountered,
and no ocular invelvesment by the parasites
Ondiacec or tlaria bas been seen. bathe one case
of inactive leprosy on Rongelap oo ocular lesions
have Leen noted, Some people lise residual scars
af vinws, but ne active lesions have been seen dur
ing the 2U-vear period,
Most of the congenital malformations and fanilial awular diseases found in Aimencans were
not seen inthe Marshallese, such as ocular dystrephias, retinitis pigmentosa (congenital night blind.
Hess}, congenital eairaets a wlaucona in the
younw ar familial gliiuconis in older people, sand
Colabomir of the aris or posterior segment of the
eve. Ono the ether band. certain congenital traits
appatentiv peculiar to this race were noted. Phe
average size af the corneas is vreater than in the
LUS.nose than og) of the people examined hav.
ny commen > bd inin ap dbameter, Lin oe of the
people the retinal vessebs slowed icreascd lortue
osity (corkscrew shke) and dilatation. Vhis phenan
chon has sametioes been tounch osseqiited sith
the sickle cell trait, but vhe batter lias not been
thotedk aa he NMiaoshiaablese,
Dictetie and hvgienic conditions in the Marshall isiuods have unproved over che 20 vears of
this study. fa carher veo, pear night vision jn
children due te vitaiaia AN deticieney was occa:
Motally found, and molluscuin contagiosain was
sca omore frecuedily; abso desiens iavolving the
skin ol the evelids. forehead, and face. bt has been
several vears since night vision dmparment or
auierlteise Hib bas been seen,
2. Possible Radiation Effects
Bath the detonation ia March (od and the re-
sulting Lillowt gave cise bo several types of ratio:
tions thet niighst cause tnjury tothe eves.
Longacre radiation, Direct obser ation with the
naked eve of the fireball of an ateaiic bomb detonavion is known te produce retinal damage with
arcing and possible blindness Abt The Brave
a
fireball was observed by a small number of peuple
on Rongelap, and, though its distance from them
precluded thermal injury to the skin from longwave (visible and infrared) light, injury to the ret
ina must be considered. Vhe fireball was dewribed by the Rongelap people as appearing “like
the sunrising in the west.” Vhey probably did nat
we itatits greatest huminescence. when the dane
aying ocular effects uecur, because this comes a
fraction of a microsecond after detonation, sa that
ata distance of 100 miles the fireball would not
yet have rien above the horizan, Alsu, at dat distance Uhe size of the nage on the retina would be
sual. ‘These facton probably explain why no one
complained of blindness from seeing Che fireball
and no retinal scar have been faund in any of the
people,
Tiantzing radiation. The fallout on Rongceiop resulted ina gamma duse of 175 rads ta the whole
body including the eyes. Beta ravs trom fallout
deposited on the ground and contaminating the
eves resulted in some superticial exposure of the
lids, conjunctiva, and cornes, but their low pene:
tration makes unlikely that the dons or retina ree
ceived any significant dose from this source, During the two davs before evacuation, many of the
people complained of sine aching and burning of
the eves with some lichrvination. Those svoiptoms
nay dave been related to radiation fran fallout in
the eves. but physical and che:nical irrivation by
the caustic fallout dust may have phased an in
portant part. Internal alear pion of radionuclides
probably did not contribute to the radiation duse
to Ue eves,
Conjunctizttis, The burning and lachrvmation
disappeared by the time the people were evacu-
ated ta Kwajalein Island, However, at the tine of
development of bet buras, about 2 weeks after ex-
posure, wo men developed conjunctivitis and ine
Hlamination of the evelids which may lave been
due io beta irradiation, These lesions healed within
severcl chavs.
Comal pigmentation. Bowinning at about 2 months
Pest ex pasure, Ta scime peaple wt pitmentiod fine
was Qoted i the cornea atthe Himbus in the hori.
Zontal asis af the palpebral fissure, which ap-
peared to be below the surface of the epiaheliam,
hi vatiod fret 0.9 to 2mm in length. This may
base been due te beta radiation and was possibly
related tothe bluish pigmentation nated in the
nail beds. The lauer disappeared when the nail
bed grew out several months later. buc the corneal
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