17
Rongelap. During-that year the health aide was
visited frequently for upper respiratory infections
(nearly everyone hadat least one cold during the
year). Gastroenteritis was also a frequent complaint.
REVIEW OF DATA ON MORTALITY
AND PREGNANCYTERMINATION
OVER THE PAST SIX YEARS
group are compared with those in the unexposed
group in Tables 3 and 4. Since anyradiation-induced genetic imperfections that mightresult in
nonviable offspring might be present in the germ
plasm of the father as well as the mother, two unexposed women mated to exposed men areincluded in the exposed group. Four children born
in 1954 were excluded from thelist because they
had been conceived before the accident.
Table 3 and Figure 10 show the yearly incidence oflive births and miscarriages and thesex
Mortality
The four deaths that have occurred in the ex-
posed Rongelap people during the past 6 years
give an annualrate of 8.1 per 1000 population.
The Marshall Islands annual rate is reported as
6.8 per 1000. The unexposed Rongelap population has had four deathsalso, which gives a rate of
8.3 per 1000. These figures do not includefetal
and infant mortality. The people of Utirik Island,
whoreceived about 14 of radiation in the 1954
accident, have showna deathrate of about 10to 11
per 1000 population. Their population has varied
between 160 and 213 people since the event.
Pregnancy Terminations
of babies born of womenof child-bearing agein
the exposed and unexposed groups. Underthe
category of miscarriages are includedstillbirths
and babies dying a few hoursafter birth. It was
unfortunate that in most cases it was not possible
for physicians to inspect the products of miscarriage. Figure 10, a plot of the percentage incidence
of miscarriage in the two groups, indicates that it
is somewhatgreater in the exposed group. The
data on pregnancy terminations, summarized in
Table 4, also show an increased incidence of mis-
carriage in the exposed group.
The birth rate in the Marshall Islands in 1957
was 37.3 per 1000 population. The 24 live births
ported for each of these years in the unexposed
women. Pregnancy terminations in the exposed
100
r
904
8OF
Table +
7O Fr
PERCENT
Summary of Pregnancy Termination Data,
Rongelap Exposed (1954-1959)
and Rongetap Unexposed (1956-1959)
%
Exposed
Womengivingbirth to living
children
Women with miscarriages* but
no live births
Womenwith no recorded
pregnancies
Womenwith | or more
miscarriages
Womenwith 2 or more
miscarriages
Pregnancies terminating in
miscarriages
:
;
%o
Unexposed
64
66
18
ll
18
22
41
28
14
11
35
23
*Includes children dying first few hours after birth.
tl
‘
\
|
~--- EXPOSED
\
UNEXPOSED
\
MISC / TOTAL PREGNANCIES
\
\
\
4
\
3/5
\
A
\
a
fo
\
a
\
1
/
V
4
5
\ 6sta
/
‘
7 2/8
2/8
\
7
\
4
7a \
v5
\
1/6
lO F
\
5
\
\
0
res
2/6
\
20 -
7
/
\
sor
7
™.
f
\
40
4
\
6OF
50
ae
During 1958 six miscarriages and stillbirths
were recorded in the exposed group, but none was
reported in this group for 1959. Only one wasre-
1
|
i,
4
1
55
56
S57
58
59
EXPOSURE
\ors |
60
YEAR
Figure 10. Incidence of miscarriages and stillbirths in
exposed Rongelap women.Stillbirths include babies
living only a few hours after birth. Data on unexposed
womenare incomplete prior to 1956.