“KON

Biopsies of three piamernted lesions SOpe
taken from 2 of the wi te \inerieans of tie
Rongerik group. Gils
ot Soshowed evden:
of damage, which ws -leht vee cor tined te tt

epidermis,

ayer

tions of skin at this time revealed same changes
persisting in the epidermis ane te a lesser ex

tent in the dermis

Plites ™ ond

ayy

Epidermis. The follow ng changes were
found to varying degrees focal atrophy of the

stratum granulosuri, -ligh! focal pigments
disturbances in cells of the basal layer: slight te
moderate hyperkerutinization . ind slight dis
turbances in polaris foepithedal cells in the
still persistent basel papullury proyections

In the vermis telanygiectasis super

ticially persisted from a -lght 0 moderate de
gree in most of the sections, ind contributed the
only abnormality noted

3.33

33

eourred ipone of the Americans, characterized
» joose far upon combing but without areas
Oo Pionec ta
Regrowth

of

hat all

individuals com-

rence some time during the third month after

Lhird series—Oth mone’ past ea posire,

Dermis,

Pra TION

LESION

Epilation and Nail Pigmentation

Fpitation. The iperdenve ind time of appear

ance of epilation in the various groups 1s illus
trated in Tables 3. and 3.4, und Figure 3.1

Epilation was first observed of the fourteentt.
post-exposure day ii the Rongelap group. wna

somewhatlater in tie other groups.

fy wast

aspotty nature and was confined almost entirely
to the head regior.
Epilation Was divided
arbitrarily into 3 legrees of sever'ty * +

indicated loss of hate withou! obsions thinning
“a+ indicated Joss of bau sutticrent te cn use
thin spots: and “89+ isdieated sar extensive

epilation with bald spots

Table 1

iHustrates

evposure

(ft the 6 months’ examination com-

Hete regrowth of hairy normal in color, texture,
iad abundance had taken place. Plates 13-15,
os aad 19 show epilation and regrowth of
i}

Sal Puqientation. An unusual observation
Sis tae appearance of a bhush-brown promentamaf the fingernails which was first well documented on the 23rd post-exposure diy. Phe «issetoration began in the semilunar area of the
tt gernasds to « lesser extent in the toenails),
ard ~pread OVEN ard sometimes 1 streaks.
As
the discolored area grew distally the semilunar
aren ustutlly became clear, Plate 20 shows pigmented bands 11 the nails at 77 days. At Six

Hhomtos, plementation had grown out with
the nails. and was no longer evident except in

three cases which still showed pigment at the
tistal end of the nail. The prgment was on
the ancler side of the nail plate. Discoloration
of the niatls was seen in a large proportion of
tetova higher exposure groups (Tables 3.1 and

i

Vhe phenomenon appeared to be a radia-

Fete response peculiar to the dark-skinned races
Soee twas seen mall of the exposed Aimerican
Negroes ine none of the white Americans supbese ly recelving the ‘same exposure. This

iedon was not observed .n the Utirik people or
4 unexposed Marshallese. Since the nail pigmentation oceurred in individuals without skin

ledons,
appeared to be the result of a more
Penetrating gamma component of radiation.

that there was a wreater iegree of epilation it
the children +0 to 1) vears)

34

owredi over GO) per

cent developing ep:lation to some degree as
compared to only vx perrent ou the older ige
group. The preponderar-e of -calp lesions i
the areas of epilation ondiented that raciatio
from the fallout materia or the ski was or
marily responsible for the ep iat om, Only trree
cases of mild ep latio:
teveloped in the
Ailinginae children aia Hest ermible ebrbat an

tae

Verarsesr

Therapy
Or

‘acweds von-specific.

the

skin

lestons

was

Most of the superficial

heqons were treated with calamine lotion with
neooercent phenol, which im most cases reeve the itehing and burning. A few of the
syperpigmented Jesions not relieved by ealahae

oS ty phenol were treated with pontocaine

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