33 Estimation of Body Burden of Sr” Gammaspectrographic analyses on the Rongelap people in 1961 by whole-body counting in a 21-ton steel room indicated that the mean body burden of Cs'*? had not shown anysignificant further increase over the 1959 level and that the mean Zn“* level had been reduced by a factor of about 6. Since these results implied that the body burdens had reached equilibrium with these gamma emitters in the environment, further gamma spectrographic analysis was deferred, the next being planned for about 1965, Therefoie the steel room was not taken to Rongelap onthis survey and no whole-body gammacounting was done. However, urine and other samples were coliccted and brought back for radiochemical analyses, Srand calcium analyses were carried out on 24-hr urine samples from 27 Rongelap people, 18 in the exposed group and 9 in the unexposed, and on a 12-liter pooled sample from the population at large; on vertebra and rib samples (autopsy specimens from the 78-yr-old woman who died in In view of the uncertainties associated with ex- trapolation from urinary excretion data to body burden of Sr, other corroborating evidence has been derived from analyses of bone samples. Because of the difficulty of obtaining autopsies on these people, this means of analysis has been very limited. However, bone samples were obtained from an autopsy on the 78-yr-old woman who died this year, and the Sr’’ analysis of ribs and vertebral specimens showed an average of 15 pC/g Ca, rep- resenting a body burden of 11.4 myC or about 5.7% of the MPC (see Table 19). This compares favorably with the estimate of 12.0 muC based on the 24-hr urine samples. Bone samples from the autopsy of a 35-yr-old man in 1958 showed a Sr*" body burden of 2 muC.Theestimated body burden derived from the 1962 bone samples therefore shows about a sixfold increase over that from the 1958 samples. The Srlevels in the coconut crabs in 1962 (Table 19) are close to those previously reported by Held.'* It is not clear why the crabs continue to show such high levels, but the ban on their consumption cannotyet belifted. March 1962); and on 4 coconut crabs. The results of these analyses are presented in Tables 17, 18, and 19, The urinary levels of Sr** are somewhat higher than last year. Summary The fluctuations in calcium level in the samples cause variations in the Srlevel expressed per g Ca. The pooled urine samples contained 7.2 pC/I Srin 1961 and 7.9 in 1962 (1 pC = IpyC), but the calcium levels differed so markedly (141 mg/l in 1961 and 18 in 1962) that they were not used in calculating the body burdens of Sr**. In 1962 the meun Sr°° values from the individual adult 24hr samples were 12.45+1.30 pC/Il or 114414 pC/g Ca. From these values, on the basis of previous calculations,’* the body burden was estimated as 12.0 muC. This is about 6.0% of the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) of Sr°? (200 muC) for nonindustrial populations, and represents about 49% of the previously estimated** equilibrium value of 23 mzC. Thus the return of the Rongelap people to their homeisland has been reflected in annual increases in estimated body burdens of Sr** based on urinary excretion values. The estimates, in myC, have increased as follows: 2.0 in 1958, 6.0 in 1959, 6.9 in 1961, and 12.0 in 1962. It is not clear why the ercater increase occurred during the past year. Medical examinations were carried out in March 1962 on the people of Rongclap Island, 8 years after accidental exposure to fallout irradiation. The medical team consisted of 15 physicians and mcdical technicians, 9 from the U.S. and 6 from the Department of Public Health of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Examinations were carried out principally at Ronvgela; Island, but some Rongelapese who had moved away were cxamined at Kwajalein and Majuro Islands. A total of 308 people were examined, 80 in the exposed group, 37 children of exposed parents, and 191 unexposed Rongelap people who serve as a comparison population. The Trust Territory ship, Ran Anim, was used to transport the medical team and equipment from Kwajalein to Rongelap and return. The team lived in a tent at Rongelap Village during the survey. The examinations were carried out with complete cooperation of the Rongelup people, and it was believed that the presence of the team living