malignancies is well documented.!7-54 but that with other less well-defined aging criteria is not clearcut. Beebe ct al.39 repurting on 1300 deaths from 1950 to 1966 among 8200 exposed Japanese, stated: “Onee cancer is removed from the list of Be . a Se ig wrt natural causes, mortality appears to bear no relation to radiation dosage, In none of the 4 Uine of iteimssuch as grevness of hair, arcus senilis, senile changes in the skin, balding, ete., but nrast involved direct measurements of tenis such as skin loaseness, skin elasticity (skin caliper), visual accom. modation, visual acuity, bearing (audiometric), blood pressure, neuromuscular fu netion(light ex- periods is there evidence of general increase in mortality that one might expect fron the hypothe: sis of accelerated aying.” Since the underlying mechanisms of ordinary aging are not clearly defined i is dificult to com pare cadiation clleets with Ihe aging process and to recognize their interaction. Studies of longevitv athe celatively small Marshallese population under observation do not provide any evidence of a possible life-shortening cflect of radiation. At this lime the average age at death in the Rongelap exposed group is +b years compared with G5 in the unexposed population, and G1 among the unexposed Utirik people. The ditlerences are not significant. Numerous empirical studies concerned with possible radiation-induced aging effects have been carried out on the Japanese survivors’?and on the Marshallese.§t21157-41 On several occasions Rongelap people were given a baticry of nonspecific testis for aging similar to those used in the Japanese studies.'4-1Some of uhese tests were based on subjective assesstncnt, ota Ota 4+ scale, tinction test}, hand strength (dynamometer), vibra. tory sense (vibrometer), and lean body unass (whole-body potussiun by gamiia spectrographic analysis), Comparison of these values in the ex. posed and unexposed Marshallese (Table 17) showed no significant diflvcences. The biological age scores (average percent score), plotled in Fig. ure 25 for both groups, are about the same, 5. Immunological Studies Radiation is known to impair the inmunological status of individuals soon alter exposure if che dose is suflicicnt to produce significant leukopenia. During the carly period, though the acute ellects on the Rongelap people included considerable depression of peripheral blood clements, comparison of the incidence ofinfections with that inthe Cairik group gave no evidence of impaired inumunity, Reduced iminunological reserve may likely be a late edicet of radiation ex posure,#? but it has net been observed conclusisely in man, The develop. ment of leukemia and other malignancies following exposure may quile possibly be related tu res Table 17 Correlation of Citeria With Age and Radiation Expromeare! Cacrelition wah racbintwar CGonreladian with age (r value) Percent Graviiess Arcus scailis .H7 LHS +170) uu Accuituionfadiaay et —dhd Shan bans O70 + Shin tetesection Viloriateny wae (M+ BD Visual acuity Phaser tease bso Ihe . Ihand grip (AE + F) Castihined score? ONS. + rot sigenidicsatd an oe deve, NS. (0.70) NUS. G1.0M2) NUS. Gut + 7.4 NUS. (U0d5} Ib NAS. (UU) ee — TbUM A + 2h CF) 0 NLS. (O90, 0.20) Oure* + bb EM), + Fy NUS. (0.09, 0.1) (at 1.457 Reaction tine (M+ F) (lide extitac tian tesey Sestoliy blood pressure Pootarsnsaatiy (ML F} Cholesierad Seureuiscidar far thoes (M+ Fy dd talls } Siguiticaswee® € +) Gages ON wares a9 OMe 0,0) +1ho + 74 — JaNy, — 1 oF) -t1% —iLe¢M), +106 ¢F) =. + EM) + bb F) + 7.0 er values for maken anal faniahen as craged, NOM. (09) NOS (OH) NUS. NwS. NAN, N.S. NOS. (UH, 0.59) (OR AQ] (07,002 (Ab) (tha 0) N.S. ((L27) WWeiukicd secorcliag tor vishiae,