44 ~——T T T T_T T T T TT FEMALES & 20 4 z Lu u oe uw 2 ob im INTERMEDIATE V——_———————— F T t q T r T +—t MALES - 20 4 z lu uo & Ww a (oF 4 POSITIVE L 40 45 50 —_1 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 TIME IN MINUTES IL 1 eo, 90 95 100 105 Figure 48. Percent distribution of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in males and females (percent of persons versus decolorization time). relatively high BAIB values, which suggest that there may be an Asian focus for the high BAIB excretor gene. Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase Determi- nation. One male (#11) decolorized at 102 min and wasclassified as positive; three females (#418, 22, and 851) decolorized at 80, 85, and 93 min, re- spectively, and wereclassified as intermediates. The distributions are shownin Figure 48. The glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenasedeficlency appearsto exist in the Rongelap population, althoughin fairly low frequency. The number of tests done was too small for any final con- clusions to be drawn, and it is importantthat these results be confirmed on subsequent visits, particularly with tests done in the field in order to eliminate the possibility of sample deterioration during transport. Radionuclide Body Burden Evaluation INTRODUCTION In considering the evaluation ofthe radionuclide body burden of the Rongelap people, the following facts should be kept in mind. During the two days that the people remained ontheisland after the fallout occurred in 1954 (prior to their evacuation), they lived in a radioactively contaminated environment and madelittle or no effort to avoid inhaling the radioactive material or ingesting it in their food and water. The resulligginternal radioactive contamination wasreflectcfMby significant levels of activity in their urine detected by radiochemical analysis. Following their evacuation, the people lived for 3 years on the uncontaminated islands of Kwajalein and Majuro. The people of Utirik were returned several monthsafter the accident to their homeisland, since the level of con- tamination there wasvery low. The initial body burdensof internal emitters were estimated from data obtained by radiochemical analysis of the tissues of pigs which had been simultaneously exposed, and also from a comparison of human and animalurinalysis data.**° The mean body burden at one day wasestimated(in uC) as Sr®*, 1.6; Ba’*®, 2.7; 17°", 6.4, and the rare earth grouptogether, 1.2. The contribution of this amountof internal contamination is small compared to the 175 r external gammadosereceived. In the first few months following this acute exposure, Sr*® and I'*) (plus the shorter-lived iodine isotopes) contributed the greatest internal radia- tion dose. Sr*® contributed the major portion of the beta dose to the skeleton at this early time: The highest dose to an individual tissue (100 to 150 rep) was delivered to the thyroid by I'*! and the shorter-lived isotopes, I'**, I7°3, and I°*°. In the spring of 1957, 3 years after the accident, four Rongelap people, two Utirik people and one unexposed Marshall Islander were taken to Argonne National Laboratory, and gamma spectrographic analyses were carried out in a wholebody counter. Distinct photopeaks indicating the presence of significant levels of Cs'*’ and Zn were detected in the spectra of exposed Rongelap people and the unexposed subject.°°* This experience demonstrated the feasibility of using zn vivo whole-body counting techniques for estimating body burdensin these people. In the following year, 1958, a “portable” steel room and a wholebody gammaspectrometer were constructed at Brookhaven National Laboratory which could be transported to the Marshall Islandsfor use in fur- ther studies. | In July 1957, after careful radiological surveys which showed theisland of Rongelapto besafe for habitation, the people were returned and settled in a completely new village which had been constructed for them. Lowlevels of contami- nation persisted on the island, which havesince