RADIOACTIVITY IN MAN
253
pressed early to half the level of the unexposed population and
were very slow in recovering, not completely reaching the level of
the comparison population until about five vears after exposure.
The platelets (see Figure 4) became depressed to about 30%of the
comparison population by four weeks after exposure with a slow
recovery pattern thereafter. Even after five vears, the meanplatelet
level wasstill slightly below the comparison population level. No
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Figure 3. Mean Inmphocyte values for exposed Rongelap people from exposure through five vears after exposure. Stars represent mean values of comparison populations.
bleeding was associated with lowplatelet levels. In cleven people
counts dropped to a low of thirty-five thousandto sixty-five thousand. Erythropoictic changes were not remarkable. Since there
were no clinical stens associated with hematological depression, no
specific treatment was required or given, No illnesses or deaths
have occurred that appeared to be related to radiation exposure.
Had the dose received been higher, there would almost certainly
have been complications of inections and bleeding with possible
mortality. During the first six weeks over half of the exposed
people lost a few pounds in weight even though their diet was
sausfactory during this period. This possibly reflects an effect of
radiation exposure on general metabolism. but factors associated
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