36
Table 22
Mean RBC, Hemoglobin, MCH,and Reticulocyte Levels by Age and Sex, 1959
Rongelap exposed
RBC (x10-*),
Males age 5-15
Females
Hgb., g,
>15
>5
Ailingnae exposed
4.45 70.5" (10) **
4.46
4.7140.4 (19)
4.2104 (31)
Rongelap control
(2)
4.6 0.5 (22)
5.15
(4)
4.31+0.36 (9)
4.8 +0.5 (44)
4.4 0.4 (53)
Males age 5-15
>15
12.3 +0.5 (10)
14.4 21.3 (19)
12.2
15.4
(2)
(4)
13.1 41.1 (22)
14.8 1.8 (44)
MCH,pug,
Males age 5-15
28.0 +3.3 (10)
27.7
(2)
28.5 +1.9 (22)
Retic., %,
Males age 5-15
Females
>5
>15
Females
>15
>5
12.5 +0.95 (31)
13.2 +0.87 (9)
30.8 £2.5 (19)
30.0
(4)
0.13
( 9)
0.05
(2)
0.21
(23)
0.17
(7)
0.31
(15)
0.3
(4)
12.9 +2.1 (52)
30.7 +3.4 (44)
0.29
(17)
0.41
(48)
0.43
(42)
*Standard deviation.
**The numbers in parenthese are the numbers of people in the groups.
The explanation is not clear. However, it was felt
that the erythrocyte counts done on the Coulter
electronic counter, and the hemoglobin andreticulocyte counts, were sufficient indices for evalua-
tion of erythropoetic function.
Erythrocytes and Hemoglobins.
The mean
levels of erythrocvtes and hemoglobins (Table 22)
were generally somewhat belowthose accepted as
average for Americans and were only slightly
lower in the exposed Rongelap population than in
the unexposed group. Scattergrams(Figures 42
and 43) of the individual red cell counts plotted
byage for exposed people of both sexes show more
of the counts below the average level of the unex-
posed group than aboveit, and a plot of percent-
age cumulative distribution of counts {Figure 44)
showsthe curve for the exposed group distinctly
displaced to theleft.
Ailingnae Blood Counts. Counts in the Ailingnae people (a group of 15 who had received an
estimated 69 r from fallout) are summarized in
Tables 21 and 22 and in Appendix 2, andtheindividual counts are shown in Appendices 3 and 4.
These counts generally averaged slightly higher
than in the exposed Rongelap people but lower
than in the unexposed people.
Price-Jones Curves. Price-Jones curvesfor determination of red cell size distribution on 17
Rongelap people (exposed and unexposed) were
averaged and compared with an averaged curve
for 53 Americans of the same age group (Figure
45). The Marshallese curveis displacedslightly to
the left, which indicates a slight tendency toward
microcytosis.
.
Serum Iron. Serum iron levels were < 100 yg/
100 ml serum in only 5 persons, all unexposed.
Serum Protein. Serum protein levels in 1959
were again higher than normal in many cases.
The range in the exposed group was 6.6 to 8.4¢
with a mean of 7.45, and in the unexposed group
from 6.6 to 9.0 < with a mean of7.55.
Comments. The peripheral levels of blood elements have shown considerable fluctuation from
year to year. The explanation ts not known. One
might speculate that, since upper respiratory and
gastrointestinal infections are common, the tempo-
ral relationship of the hematological examinations
to periods of bacterial infection might strongly influence the generallevel of certain elements, particularly the leukocytes. It is not known whether
the drop in 1960 leukocyte levels was so influenced. As pointed out, the influenza epidemic in
early 1960 apparently spared Rongelap Atoll.
Since hematological examinations were not done
on the unexposed groupin 1960,it was not possible to evaluate exposed levels with relation to
radiation effects.
The only blood elements at 5 years post exposure that showedslightly lower levels in the exposed group weretheplatelets and erythrocytes.
Erythrocyte counts had not been done before
1959. Re-examination of earlier hematocrit leveis
by construction of scattergrams and cumulative
distribution curves showeda slight tendency for