.-
C
(—
THYROID LESIONS IN MARSHALLESE EXPOSED TO FALLOUT
(AS OF MAY,
Marshall Island Group
(radiation dose-gamma)
Age at
Exposure
1974)
Estimated
Thyroid
dose-rads
Thyroid
Lestons
Percent
Thyroid
Surgery
Malignant
Lesions
Percent
15
5.3 (1/19)
Rongelap (175 rads
gamma exposure)
In-utero
<10
175 + ?
675 - 1440
33.3 (1/3)
89.5 (17/19)
Rongelap (on Ailingne
7" "EFG°
586 T dao
«378 (2/64
11-16
>16
all
-
Island -69 rads gamma
exposure)
+16
all
Utirik? (14 rads gamma
expvsure)
<10
>10
all
Rongelap unexposed
<10
>10
Likiep unexposed (1970)
L
Dose from
131,
132,
133,
335 - 675
335
9
132
-
-
-
-
<10
-
all
-
135
4
0.0 (0/53)
5.8 (6/104)
3.2 (5/157)
0
4
4
1.0 (1/104)
0.6 (1/157)
1.6 (1/61)
0
3.6 (7/194)
2
0.0 (0/31)
0
3.6 (5/137)
0
4.7 (5/106)
2
3
2
0
-
-
-
-
-
-
I plus gamma dose.
2Rased on number of original people exposed.
in group.
3
5.4 (2/37)
4.7 (3/64)
.
4.5 (6/133)
-
1
3
17
1
16.6 5/533
22.2 (4/18)
40, - 80
22
-
all
12.5 (1/8)
8.1 (3/37)
32.8 (21/64)
In parentheses number of cases/total number
The thyroid is considered fully developed by age 16.
.
os
Difference of opinion as to whether or not one lesion was malignant.
was that it was benign.
Majority opinion
The more energetic shorter-lived isotopes of iodine contributed less to the total
thyroid dose in the Utirik people due to later fallout. One might surmise also that the
biological effectiveness of the thyroid dose per rad would be less in that group.
Or ifteen children 10-17 years of age at exposure in this group received estimated thyroid
doses between 22 and 40 rads.
"tn addition to thyroid lesions, one case of acute myelogenous leukemia was discovered
in September 1972 in a 19-year-old Rongelap boy who had received 175 rad gamma radiation
at one year of age. He died November, 1972.