-17-
previously, people living on Rongelap Island have levels of 13705 which have
evidently reached a plateau and are therefore probably in equilibrium with
their environmental sources of 137s,
Individual variations are probably
related to corresponding variation in their diets.
Those Rongelapese who
had recently returned from prolonged stays at other atolls had markedly lower
counts, which were comparable to those of the medical team,
6500 is no longer readily detectable in the gamma ray spectrographs
and therefore appears to be an insignificant contribution at this time to the
body burdens of the Marshallese.
Figure 4 compares the gamma ray spectrographs of 13765 in Marshallese
with a high level, an average level, and a member of the AEC medical team,
Radiochemical analyses of urine samples for 905, are being done by
the AEC Health and Safety Laboratory in New York City.
They will be reported
later,
Hematological Examinations
The hematological findings are summarized in Table 5 and in Figures
5-8.
As has previously been done, the data in Table 5 have been broken down
by sex into age groups.
In general the exposed Rongelap people who through
the years since the accident had continued to show slightly lower mean levels
for total leukocytes, neutrophils, and lymphocytes now appear to have values
as high as in the unexposed population,
Slight drop in total leukocytes
noted in both groups is reflected in the lower lymphocyte values as compared
to 1964,
For the first time since the accident platelet levels for the exposed
(both male and female) are equal to the levels in the unexposed group.
counts were 20-25% lower in both groups compared to last year.
5001431
wet
Platelet
The erythrocytic ©