bho
Cn
Tabie 33
Urinary Sr” Levels, in puC, |, of Marshallese, 1959
Males
Females
Age I-15
e
Rongelap exposed
24
Rongefap unexposed
Adingnae
Unurik
Ebeye
Age >15
(2)*
7 122.0 (3)
_
7.3 5.1
(8)
5.3
CL)
5.6 22.8 (9)
-
-
15 20.9 (5)
0.56 0.37 (4)
Age 1-15
Age >15
3.9 (2)
34 22.2 (9)
-
4.2 22.3 (6)
-
30
3.9 (1)
~
(1)
2.5
(23
0.700.70 (3)
“The numbers in parentheses are the numbers of people in the groups.
Table 34
Cs'?? Body Burdens, in muC,’kg, of Marshallese as Measured by Whoie-Bodvy GammaSpectroscopy, 1959
Ailingnae
Utirik
Age 1-15
Age >15
124276.2 (9)*
11.824.8 (20)
14.225.1 (10)
i¢.04%4.7 (37)
11.32%2.7 (12)
9.92.1 (15)
L1.0%3.4 (16)
9.8+2.8 £33)
4.6221.2 (14)
4.51.6 (15)
4.5201.9 (14)
3.64£1.3 £15)
8.9
(2)
11.5+3.6 (4)
10.0+3.1 (4)
1L4%45 (5)
*The numbers in parentheses are the numbers of people in the groups.
on an average 24-hr urine output of 1660 ml(see
ment with the value of 140 days obtained by An-
between the Rongelap exposed and unexposed
groups, although the exposed adult group hada
days was obtained in clinical study made over a
Table 33). No significant difference was found
slightly higher mean value than the unexposed
group. Females tended to have a lower mean Sr*°
value than males, but the difference was notstatistically significant. Relatively few children < 15
years of age were tested for urinary Sr®°; therefore,
it was not possible to comparetheirlevels statis-
tically with those of the adults. The mean Sr”
urinary value for an adult inhabitant of Utirik was
1.8 wpC/l, which is about 35% that of the Rongelap group. The control group on EbeyeIsland (not
contaminated) hadstill lower values, 0.62 uuC/1.
The lack of significant difference between the
exposed and unexposed groups on Rongelap seems,
to indicate that essentially no residual Sr°° from
the initial exposure is detectable in the exposeda
group.
'
Cesium-137. The Cs'** urinary excretion levels
_ of the Marshallese people for the period from 50
to 180 days following exposure can be expressed
as a single exponential function with a half-life of
70 days (see Figure 56). This figureis not in agree-
[185b0¢
derson,*? but a biological half-time of 51 to 59
4-month period following injection of Cs*77Cl,
into two patients.**
The estimates of body burden of Cs'*’ in 1958,
derived indirectly from urinalysis, are presented in
Table 32.
The urinary excretion of Cs’*’ of 34 puC/I in
1957 indicates that the Rongelap people were exposed to a continuing low level of Cs**’ from
stratospheric fallout during 1956 while residing on
Majuro. By contrast, the mean body burden of
Cs'37 in 1957 of the Utirik people (who were re-
turned to their atoll in 1954) was 334 muC, considerably higher than that of the Rongelap people
who wereresiding on Majuro at that time.°? This
higher burden among the Utirik people in 1957
can beattributed to the higherlevel of Cs'*' con-
tamination on Utirik than on Majuro at that time.
Zine-65. Zn** urinary levels were not measured
before 1958. With the assumptionsthat excretion
of Zn®** is exponential and urinary excretion 1s
10% of tocal excretion (urinary/fecal ratio= 4),
the March 1958 urinary excretion level of 175
a
Age >15
sq Mag
Age 1-15
awe
Rongelap exposed
Rongelap unexposed
Females
~~
Males