12

Ocean in 1954.

Fourteen of them were examined

under hospitalization, and the other four were
treated as outpatients. At first we planned to

examine all the exposed persons (twenty-two in
total), however, mainly for reasons of their own,

we could not include four of them in the 1964
survey.
In general, these persons had been in good
health during the past years. Although several
diseases occurred in some of them, there was no

definite reason to relate the radiation exposure
to such diseases. Since most of them got children after being discharged from hospitals, it
would seem evident that permanent sterility did
not occur in them.
The routine physical examinations of 1964
revealed that liver was palpable in ten cases.
However, it was not cirrhotic, and did not seem

to be related to liver disturbances. The routine
physical examination had no observation to be
relatable to the radiation exposure.
Residual beta burns of the skin were noted in
13 people of the 18 examined. The burns were
observed in wrists, external ears, abdominal walls,

normal, although neutropenia, lymphopenia, eo-

sinophilia and slight basophilias were observed in

one or two cases respectively. NN. AP-ase-score
decreased in one case. Bone marrow examinations revealed slight increase of myeloblasts
and M/E ratio in Cases T-3 and K-12 respectively. “ Mitotically Connected Abnormalities ”
were found in a few cases. In view of these
findings, it could be indicated that there is some

residual effect of radiation exposure on haematopoiesis on these persons.
Chromosome observations of peripheral leucocytes were made in 13 cases. The average rate
of chromosome aberrations was much higher than
that in the normal. The frequency of aneuploid
cells was higher, and chromosome-type abnormalities such as dicentric chromosomes and monocentric abnormal chromosomes were frequently
observed. Cells with dicentric chromosomes occurred in 7 cases, and those with

monocentric

abnormal chromosomes werepresent in all of the
cases. To trace the fate of such cells with chromosome abnormalities persisting in them seems
to be necessary in the succeeding annual inves-

foot and leg.

tigations.

seen in abdominal walls.

There were some abnormal findings in different
laboratory studies. However, it was not proved

Most remarkable ones were those
Skin biopsies of the
abdominal walls were performed in six cases.
Histological diagnosis as well as macroscopic
examination of these lesions indicated no malignant change. In one case that showed complete
epilation at the time of the accident, a small al-

opecic area was still noted in the scalp.
Ophthalmological studies revealed lens opacities in 6 cases, in which 2 cases showed opacities
of posterior capsules. However, these changes
had not characteristic features described about
progressed cataracts of atomic bomb survivors
in Hiroshima, although lens opacities of 2 cases

were found in posterior. Further ophthalmological survey should be needed.
Haematological survey showed that the results
of peripheral blood examinations were almost

that radiation exposure was related to these re-

sults.
Whole body counting and determination of
urinary excretion of '’Cs and **Sr were carried
out. No significant increase of '’Cs or Sr was
found on the exposed persons by the examinations.
In general, the results of 1964 medical survey

on Japanese fishermen did not indicate clinically

significant late effects of the fall-out exposure in

1954. However, it seems to be very important
as well as necessary to conduct further medical
survey to detect the significance of subtle changes

such as observed in haematological, chromosomal
or ophthalmological examinations.

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