FALLOUT EFFECTS—CONARD & HICKING
459
autopsy or biopsy. One unexposed older woman
dicd possibly of cancer of the cervix, but the diagnosis was not confimmed. The question of increased incidence of malignancy in the irradiated
Marshallese must be left open for the present.
Beta Radiation Burns.—During the past several
years an increased number of pigmented nevuslike lesions have been seted in previously irradiated areas of the skin bet these have appeared to
be quite benign (see Fig 4). Neither chronic radi-
“pprosimately 150 rads’ to the adult thyroids from
ssotopes of iodine, it was estimated that the smaller thyroid glands of the girls exposed at three to
tour years of age received a total dose of the order
of 1,000 rads (probable range was 700 to 1,400
tuds). The fact that a part of the total dose to the
thyroid (175 rads) was due to whole body gamma
exposure (including the pituitary gland) may be
% some significance. In the Marshallese girls the
‘tress of puberty may have been a factor in the de-
‘velopment of the nodules.
Malignancy.~No cases of leukemia in either the
*xposed or unexposed Rongelapese have been de-
ht Two older exposed women died with a
‘tsnosis of cancer, one at 67 years of age from
anan malignancy five years after exposure, and
the other died at 60 years of age, eight years after
“bosure, probably from cancer of the cervix. The
“agnosis in the latter case was not confirmed by
‘AMA, May 10, 1965 © Vol
192, No G
This investigation was supported in part by the US Atomic
Energy Commission and the ‘Inst Territory of the Pacific Islands.
Capt C. A. Broaddus, MC, USN, performed the surgery. Sections of tissues were reviewed and reported on by S. Warren, MD,
G. H. Klink, MD, C. J. Stehl, M®, HL A. Johnson, MD, and S.
lindsay, MD. Kieth Thompson cerried out the chi-square test,
and Ralph James and John Gofmen, M'D, calculaied the thyroid
dose to the children
Referesres
lL. Cronkite, E.P., et al: Effects of Jonizing Radiation on Human
Beings. Report on Marshallese ard Americans Accidentally Exposed to Radiation From Faller and Discussion of Radiation
{Injury in Human Being, US Gewrnment Printing Office, 1956,
pp 1-106.
2. Conard, R.A., et al: Medical Survey of Rongelap People
Eight Years After Exposure to Fallout, Brookhaven National
Laboratory Report 780 (T-296), idan) 1963, pp 1-74.
3. Conard, R.A.: Attempt to Quaatify Some Clinical Criteria of
Aging, J Gerontology 15:358-365, 3860.
4. Sutow, W.W.; Conard, R-A; and Griffith, K.M.: Growth
Studies of Children Iéaposed te Fallout Radiation in Marshail
Islands, Pediatrics, to be published.
:
.
5, Sheline, G.FE., et al: Thyroid Nodules Occurring Later After
Treatment of Thyrotoxicosis With Radioiodine, J Clin Endocr
22:8-18 (lan) 1962.
G6.
Lindsay, S., and Chaikeoff, Uk:
Effects of Trradiation on
Thyroid Gland With Particular Reference to Induction of Thyroid
Neoplasias: Review, Cancer Res 24:1099-1107, 1962.
115
of
1
mt
eee
~
roid with radiation exposure was substantiated by
statistical analysis which showed the difference in
thyroid nodule incidence between the exposed and
the unexposed children to he significant at the 1%
level. Moreover, Shelinc ct al? and Lindsay and
Chaikofi® have reported the development of thyroid nodules 5 to 11 years after treatment of children with radioiodine for thyrotoxicosis. Lindsay
and Chaikoff reported that the sections of the
glands removed from the Marshallese girls were
sunilar to the glands of children who had been
piven ““’T therapy. Based on a calculated dose of
RLMe
en the basis of the pathological findings alone,
though some considered the findings typical of the
t
i ]esions seen in children treated medically with
- radioactive iodine. However, the evidence is strong
that the thyroid nodules in the Marshallese firls
were induced by radiation. Correlation of the thy-
d
oe
Most pathologists consulted did not feel that ra-
. diation could be implicated as the etiologic agent
wt
4, Development of pigmented nevus-lixe lesions in area
of neck previously involved with beta radiation burns.
has been noted.
Internally Absorbed Isotopes.—Radiochemical
urine analyses and whole body spectrometric analyses revealed that the body burdens of radioisotopes in the exposed Rengelap people fell rapidly, so that by two years after exposure the levels
were far below the staled maximum permissible
levels. The return of the Rongelap people to their
home island was assocated with a rise of their
body burdens of '°Cs and “Zn and °°Sr. However, by 1961 the whole bedy content of *°’Cs had
apparently reached an equilibrium with the environment at about 14.7 mpc per kilogram of body
weight and the “Zn had fallen to Jow values. The
levels of Sr by 1964 showed a slight decline over
previous levels to about 10: to 12 myc for adults
and 20 myc for children (about 5% and 10%
respectively of the maxiraum permissible level for
members of the population at large). The possible
relation of internal abserpticn of radioiodines in
the fallout initially to the recent development of
thyroid nodules was referres! to before. No other
effects of such cxposure have keen detected.
Jt should be noted that tke lith year examination, currently in progress (Mirch 1965), has turned
up three more cases of thyreid nodules in exposed
people, one in an adult, The type and character
of the nodules have not yet been determined.
2tAS
ation dermatitis nor evidence of cancer of the skin