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Table 2.
Expected malignancies in Marshallese* in 25 years based on risk
estimates (cases/106/rad/yr) (99) for exposed Japanese.**
Expected
Type
Observed
M
F
M
F
Leukemia (20-yr risk period)
Thyroid
0.5
1.4
0.3
3.7
1
0
0
7
Stomach
0.3
1
0
Breast
Lung
0
0.7
All cancers
2.4
1.1
0.7
0.3
4.5
0
0
2
0
0
7
*The combined exposed populations of Rongelap and Utirik (244 people), with
an average whole-body dose of 62 rads and thyroid dose of 202 rads per
person.
kkRisks are estimated to have the following male/female ratio:
leukemia 3/2;
thyroid 2.2/5.8; breast 0/5.8; lung 3-6/3.93 stomach 1.5/1.7; all cancers
12.8/23.1.
These risks are age-weighted averages with certain stipulations
noted in Table V-14 of ref. 99.
Skin.
Because of the extensive radiation exposure of the skin of the
Rongelap people and the development of acute lesions and epilation, careful ex-
aminations of the skin for possible late changes have been continued. Residual scarring and pigment changes as well as histopathological changes have
been described previously (2).
A notable finding was the development of a num-
ber of benign nevi in former areas of beta burns of the neck in several women,
also described previously (11); there has been no further development of such
lesions in recent years. The absence of chronic radiation dermatitis and of
developing skin cancers is notable in view of the extensive radiation lesions
of the skin that had occurred in the majority of the exposed Rongelap people.
As has been pointed out, the low mean energy of the beta radiation may not
have caused sufficient injury to the germinal layer of the skin to result in
late effects, or skin cancer may have a longer Latent period and may yet appear.
C.
Pituitary Tumor*
A Rongelap woman who had been exposed to fallout radiation at age 20
underwent a thyroidectomy in 1969 (at age 36) with a finding of an invasive
%Drs. J. Robbins (NIH, Bethesda, MD) and R.A. Conard (BNL).
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