since the orginal contaminating event, additional
weaponstests held in the area have contributed to
the fission products in the environment. Since the
diet includes a variety of imported foods, the people are not tiving in a “closed “environment. and
therefore may not be rapidly approaching equilibrium with the environmental fission products,
as might be expected under other circumstances.
Body burdens of gamma-emitung fission prod-
ucts (such as Cs'" and Zn"') were measured ina
whole-body counter and checked by radiochemical analysis of urine specimens. The leveis of internal contamination per unit weight appeared to
burden of 11.4 mpC. These leveis represent about
a sixfold increase in Sr“ over the 1958 levels.
Little of the body burden of the exposed group
is apparentiv due to their initial exposure, since at
present there is little difference between thelevels
of the exposed and unexposed populations living
on Rongelap Island. The body burdensare of
small significance in terms of radiation hazard.
OTHER STUDIES
be about the same for juveniles as for adults, male
Studies of genetically wnhertted characteristics. Blood
grouping studies in the Marshallese showed a relatively high B gene frequency, a high N gene fre-
nation in any group were found, apparently due
toral absence cf Kell and Diego factors.'" These
and female. Wide variations in levels of contamito differences in diet and metabolism.
Body burdens of Sr" were estimated from urinary excretion as determined by radiochemical
analyses. Both the external dose measurements on
Rongelap Isiand and theleveis of radioactive 1s0topes in the food on the tsland indicated that some
increase in Cs'", Zn"*, and Sr" body burdens was
ta be expected when the peopie returned there in
1957. The Cs'' body burden in 1958 was about
0.68 pC: about 60 times as great as in 1957, and
the urinary Cs'" level rose by a factor of 140; the
mean body burden for 1959 was 0.57 pC. The
mean body burden of Zn"” estmated from whole-
body counting data was, in 1958, after the return
to Rongelap, 0.36 pC. 8 times as high as in 1957,
and 0.44 uC in 1959. In 1961 the mean Cs'" bodv
burden in adult males was 14+ 7 muC,kg, which is
not significantly different from che mean value of
a similar group obtained in 1959; it was 300 times
that of the medical team, who were measured at
the same time for comparison. The Zn": level in
adult males (1.51 muC, kg) dropped to 17% of the
mean value measured in £959. With a larger detector and a jonger counting time than pres ously
empioved, it was possible to identify and quantify
Co*" for the hrst ume in these people: the mean
level of Co”" was about 11% of the Zn"' level. A
smal! amount of residual activity was still present
after the subtraction of K‘" and the above radionuclides from the totai spectrum. The meanlevel
of urinary excretion of Sr*" was 7.2 pC/} or 14%
higher than measured in the '959 medical sur-
vey. In 1962 the mean urinary Sr” level was | 14
pC. g Ca, giving an esumated bodyburden of 12.0°
muC. Analvsis of bones from the deceased Rongelap woman (1962) gave an estimated bodv
quencv, an extremely high R' gene frequency, and
showed the incre
to an increase int
reason for this is
infecuons mav
Sodium fecels in
about the same
cans. The gener
sion in the Ma
fact that the fo
lower in salt con
ernized diet. Ic
the incidence of
Serum cholester
what lower in t
comparison or U
characterisucs differ from those of Polynesians and
low normal rang
were noted.
i
Indonesians. Haptogiodin studies showed the fre-
range with no al
pean populations thus far tested and consistent
with populations living near the equator. The distribution of haptoglobin types showed the popula-
were generally sag
levels. The posse
ples with bactery
considered. since
cases were not se
Serum protem be
suggest relavionship with Southeast Asians and
quency ot the Hp' gene to be higher than in Euro-
tion to be relatively homogencous. Transserrins in
all sera were tvpe GC, the common European
type. B-Amino-:so-butyric acid urinarylevels showed
the Marshallese to be the highest excreters of this
acid of any populauon thus far reported. Levets in
the exposed group were about the same as in the
unexposed group, and no correlation was found
with body burden level of radionuclides: this indi-
cates that there 1s probably no correlation with radiation exposure. Hemoglobin types were considered
normal (all had wpe AA}. Sickiing tests showed no
sickling tendencyin anyof the people. Glucose-b-
phosphate dehyarogenase of the red ceils appeared to
be normal in the Marshallese Studies of Gm
phenotrpes showed the Marshallese to have 100%
Gm * and nearly 109% Gm. There was a
complete absence of Gm‘ and a high trequencs
of Gm-like (Gm) Considerable cautiun must be
exercised in evaluating the results of these studies
on geneucally inherited characteristics because of
the small number of samples tested. The data do
seen. to Indicate reiative homogeneityof the pop-
ulation and closest kinship with people of Southeast Asia. These data also maybe useful as a buve
line should genetic changes appear tn later ge n-
erations, possibly related to radiation exposure.
Results of other laboratorystudies included the
following: Serum proten levels were generally on the
high side of normal, electrophoretic patterns
S-rum creatinines
Serum ciiamin |
were generailiv s§
roid dvsfuncuom
Géwosuria andi
peopie (] expose
incidence of dus
shallese peopie.
A survey for
7377 of the pea
types. ' For the
over-all infecuce
fytica, 1B XC, for
trehrura, 34.3%
Bosinophilia
in about half:
cases with cos)
lections at all
parasitic intec
sinophilia mas
other infections
Cumptement ~
and 3, respirat
ver showed ant
cept that for
nol Vel serious
shall Islands ~
somewhat low