36 - Table 22 Mean RBC, Hemoglobin, MCH, and Reticulocyte Levels by Age and Sex, 1959 . Rongelap exposed RBC (X10), Hepb., g, Males age 5-15 4.45+0.5* (10) ** Females 4.21+0.4 (31) >15 >5 Males age 5-15 Females 215 >5 MCH,upg, Males age 5-15 >15 Females >5 Retic., %, Males age 5-15 >15 Females >5 Ailingnae exposed 4.46 4.71+0.4 (19) Rongelap contro] (2) 4.6 +0.5 (22) 4.31+0.36 (9) 4.4 +04 (53) 5.15 (4) 12.3 +05 (10) 12.2 15.4 (4) 13.2 +0.87 (9) 14.8 +1.8 (44) 12.9 +#2.1 (52) 28.0 +3.3 (10) 30.8 +2.5 (19) 29.8 *+3.3 (31) 27.7 (2) 30.0 (4) 30.5 +1.9 (9) 28.5 *+1.9 (22) 30.7 +3.4 (44) 29.4 +2.7 (52) 14.4 41.3 (19) 12.5 +£0.95 (31) 0.13 0.31 0.21 ( 9) 0.05 (15) (23) 0.3 0.17 *Standard deviation. **The numbers in parenthese are the numbers of people in the groups. The explanationIs 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 erythrocytes 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 by age for exposed people of both sexes show more of the counts belowthe average level of the unexposed group than above it, and a plot of percent- (2) 4.8 +0.5 (44) (2) (4) (7) 13.) 41.1 (22) 0.29 043 0.41 (17) (42) (48) DOE ARCHIVES the left, which indicates a slight tendency toward microcytosis. Serum fron. Serum iron levels were <100 pg/ 100 ml! serum in only5 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 g with a meanof 7.45, and in the unexposed group from 6.6 to 9.0 g with a mean of7.55. Comments. The peripheral levels of blood elements have shown considerable fluctuation from year to year. The explanationis not known. One Ailingnae Blood Counts. Counts in the Ailingnae people (a group of 15 who had received an estimated 69 r from fallout) are summarized in ‘Fables 21 and 22 and in Appendix 2, andthe individual counts are shown in Appendices 3 and 4. These counts generally averaged slightly higher than in the exposed Rongelap people but lower might speculate that, since upper respiratory and gastrointestinal infections are common,the temporal relationship of the hematological examinations to periods of bacterial infection might stronglyinfluence the general level 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 epidemicin early 1960 apparently spared Rongelap Atoll. Since hematological examinations were not done on the unexposed group in 1960, it was not possible to evaluate exposed levels with relation to radiationeffects. 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 displaced slightlyto sure that showed slightly lower levels in the exposed group werethe platelets and erythrocytes. Erythrocyte counts had not been done before 1959. Re-examinationof earlier hematocritlevels by construction of scattergrams and cumulative distribution curves showed a slight tendencyfor age cumulative distribution of counts (Figure 44) shows the curve for the exposed group distinctly displaced to the left. than in the unexposed people. ae eee The only blood elements at 5 years post expo-