-21~
.-
Fertility
Effects of radiation exposure on fertility is difficult to assess in the
Mershellese.
If there has been any effect on fertility it must have been very short
lived since pregnancies are occurring normally and at rete similar to other groups
of Marshallese,
Pregnan
There bas been’no apparent effects of radiation on the course of pregnancy
in the Marshallese.
Since the delivery of the four women who were pregnant at the
time cf the event, there have been twelve pregnancies which have terminated.
Ten
of these términated normally, one terminated in a stillbirth and one baby died
several hours after birth apparently of an infection of the cord,
tal statistics makes this data difficult to interpret.
The leck of
Hewever it does not
appear that this incidence cf still births 4s greater than that of other comparable
netive groups in the mid Pacific area.
Effects on the Fetus
The three babies irradiated in-utero have not shown any abnormalities such
as wes observed in ome of the Japanese tabies irradiated in-utero (for example
microcephaly).
Growth end Developvment
On each resurvey the exposed and control children have heen metched forage
and sex,
Measirements on growth and developzent heve been carried out.
neéasurements have been incompletely anelysed as yet.
Anthropometri
Since the nuabers of children
are small the data is not easily subjected to statistical analysis.
However there
does appear to be evidence suggestive of a slight inpedrment of growth and development as meesured by comparison of height and weight in the control and exposed children,
Ko abnormalities of the eyes have been observed.
Shorteningof Life Sran
Inmimals the evidence for shortening of life span is quite good,
DOE ARCHIVES
It is