potentially available total of 41 children from the
1959 survey, 29 were re-examined in 1963 {Table
10). In the group of 60 children examined in 1959,
there were 12 who because of their ages could not
have been exposed either directly or 1a wiere to the
fallout radiation, two of these 12 were re-examined in 1963. More than one-fourth of the exposed
pediatric sample on Utirik was lost to follow-up
between the two examinations,
The fucttations between examinations in the
numbers of control children and of offspring of exposed parents are shown in Tables |! and 12. The
29 children added to the control group were randomly selected from the Ebeye school population
to provide an additional group comparable in ages
to those Rongelap children who were exp sed
during infancy and early childhood years to the
fallout radiation. Unfortunately, a study of the
biographical information on these new subjects
indicated the existence of the same uncertainties
regarding actual chronological ages that had been
encountered before. Verification or correction of
the birth date on each of the children will be required before the data can be utilized for comparative purposes.
Children Examined 1964.
During the 1964
survey, 22 exposed children, 41 children of exposed parents, and 101 control children were ex-
amined. The decrease in the number of exposed
children examined in the Rongelap series from
1938 through 1964 results from temporary move-
ment of subjects to other atolls and to graduation
of children from the pediatric to the adult study.
The increase in number of children of exposed
parents examined results from new births.
Results of Physical Examinations. The inci-
dence of abnormal physical findings in the ex posed
and control groups of children is summarized in
Table 13 In general the heaith of the children
seen during both surveys was good. Respiratory
infections and skin infections were infrequent. The
nutiitional status of all children was adequate, the
growth patterns were consistent with those seen in
previous vears, and the height increments for the
period were consistent with the previous group
trends.
During the epidemic on these atolls, 24 children
in the study developed poliomyelitis. Residual
weakness of muscle groups was evident in |1 of
these children at the time of the 1963 examination
(Table 14). Seven children continued to show
residual paralysis of varying degree at the time of
Table 14
Historyof Poliomyelitis Among Children
of Study Population, Rongelap and Ebeve
Subyects with postive history but no residual involvement
at time of examunation”:
Nos. 102. 105, 113, 120, 126, 127, 930, (012,
1025, 1031, 1040, 1504
Subjects with positive history and with residual involve-
ment at time of examination:
Nos. 96, 98, 103, 106, 110, 870, 901, 903,
1030, 1037
*One subject, No. 84, who had a history of polsomyclitia
was mot examined.
the 1964 survey (Nos. 95, 96, 98, 106, 870, 901,
903). In several instances, the degree of involve-
ment appeared less than in the previous year.
The increase in palpable livers in exposed and
control groups during the 1964 examinations s
thoughtto result from variation between pediatric
examiners. Liver enlargement exceeded 2 cm
below the right costal margin in only two children,
and in the remainderthe liver was palpable at the
Figure If
14-year
costal margin only. In all but one additional cate-
gory in Table 135, variation was considered to be
within limits expected in sequential examinations
of any pediatric age population.
Thyroid Nodules. Of particular interest was
the development of thyroid nodules in three girls
9 and 10 years after exposure: two were [3 and
one was |4 vears of age at the time of detection.
These girls were in the higher dose group in which
there were 29 children (<< 18 vears of age) exposed;
17 of the 29 were girls, with 6 girls in the 10 to 15year range. Of 73 unexposed comparison children,
37 were girls, and 21 of the girls were in the age
range of 10 to 13 vears. No thyroid nodules were
noted in this group :oniy one diffuse thyroid enlargement has been detected in an unexposed
adult) A smail nodule was first detected in one
of the girls in 1963, and nodules in the other two
were first detected in March 1964. No lvmph node
involvement was grossiv evident, The individuals
were hospitalized and two had complete thyroidectomies and the third a parual thyroidectomy.*
Grossly the glands had a “bobblestone’’ appearance with muluple hard nodules and were at first
"Captain CA Broaddus i MC) USN. arthe US. Naval
Hospital in Guam performed the surgery
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