’ ts . et : n “ «can Se msm anataPi Mtee aM itm Rt ne we atte nlee Moe 44 A review of the medicalstatus of the people during the previous year revealed that few majorillnesses had occurred and no epidemicsofinfectious diseases. No illnesses were reported in the exposed group which mightbe related to radiation exposure. No deaths had occurred except in two infants. One baby born of unexposed parents died of a congenital malformation (anencephaly), Only a few miscarriages had occurred and the incidence was no greater in the exposed womenthanin the unexposed. Thus, the suggestive trend of increased numberof miscarriages andstillbirths in the exposed womenreported for previous years wasnot apparent during the past two years. Physical examinations showed noacuteillnesses present nor any diseases which could be directly associated with radiation effects. The incidence of various diseases was generally the samein the exposed and unexposed groups. It was noted that several of the older people, particularly in the exposed group, were becoming quite feeble and helpless. Residual skin changes in areas previously showing lesions from fallout were present with certainty in about 10 people. The changes noted were principally atrophy, scarring, and pigment aberrations. None of these cases showed any evidence of chronic radiation dermatitis or malignant change. The appearance of pigmented maculae and moles in previously irradiated areas of the skin was more commonthis year than noted in the past, it is believed. However, these pigmented lesions appeared quite benign. They will be scrutinized closely on future surveys. The iricidence of diabetes in both exposed and unexposed people appeared to be higher than found in the United States. * oe Dental examinations revealed a high incidence of caries in the younger people and periodontoclasia in the older people. No difference was noted between the exposed and unexposed group in regard to dental findings. Careful examinationsfor the detection of such late effects of radiation as cancer and leukemiarevealed no evidence of these malignancies in any of the people, exposed or unexposed. Growth and development data from 1958 through 1960 were reviewedfor the children. These data revealed a distinct tendency for the exposed boys of ages <12 to be shorter than the unexposed males of comparable chronological ages. This was ac Bee SQ0 debs prominentin the boys exposed before 6 years of age, and most marked in those exposedat 12 to 18 months. A similar but less distinct trend was noted for body weight among the exposed boys. These trends were not noted among the exposed girls. However, skeletal maturation studies (roentgeno- gramsof left hand and wrist) showed trends suggestive of inferior skeletal maturation in both male and female exposed children compared with unexposed children, although the differences did not reach the level of statistical significance. A high degree of correlation was found between retarda- tion in skeletal age and inferiority in statural growth. Ofspecific interest was the group of children now 8 years old who had been exposed to fallout at ages 12 to 18 months; this group showed the most marked retardation in physical and skeletal growth. Similar studies comparing growth and develop- ment in children of exposed parents and in children of unexposed parents showed that the male offspring of exposed parents were smallerin stature at all ages then those of unexposed parents. The most marked differences occurred at 1, 3, and 4 years of age, and in those born <2 yearsafter the fallout. In orderto investigate the possible effect of radiation in inducing premature aging, variouscriteria were measuredorestimated during physical examinations (visual acuity, accommodation, arcus senilis, graying of hair, balding, skin looseness, skin elasticity, senile skin changes, blood pressure, peripheral arteriosclerosis, and neuromuscular function). No apparent effect of radiation was noted, since measurements were notgreatly difflerent in the exposed and unexposed age groups and were similar to the measurements previouslyreported.’ However, the study is of interest with regard to the measurement of biological aging, since the variouscriteria showed definite age dependent trends, and, by combiningthe scores on a percentagebasis, an over-all] biological age score was determined. Slit-lamp observations for cataracts were not carried out on this survey, but previous surveys had shown noevidenceof induced opacities of the lens. Genetic studies have not been specifically conducted. Examinations of children of exposed parents have revealed little in the wayof con- genital anomalies. One baby born of an exposed (