exposure to tropical sunlight, potentially carcinogenic in itself, may increase the probability of
neoplastic change. The influence of the sub-lethal whole body exposure received by these
people on skin cancer induction ig not known.
The transverse and of pigmentation that was observed in the fingernails has been pre-
viously observed by Sutton™ in a negress who received 150 r of soft X-ray to the hands. The
“te
Table 3.3)
SURFACE DOSES IN REP REQUIRED TO PRODUCE RECOGNIZABLE
EPIDERMAL INJURY
Investigator
Antmal
Average
Energy (Mev)
Tsotope
Henshaw, et al?!
Raper & Barnes?
Rats
Hats
py
p2
Raper & Warnes”?
Rabbits
Surface
Dose (rep)
0.6
0.5
1,500) 4,000
4,000
Sheep
p?
sr”
0.5
5,000
Henriques”?
Pigs
s*
0.05
20,600 ~ 30,000
Henriques”
Pigs
CoM
0.1
4,000 - 5,000
Henriques
Pigs
cs'?
0.2
2,000-3,000
Pigs
sr*°
0.3
1,500—2,000
0.5
1,500 — 2,000
0.7
_ 1,800-2,000
Raper & Barnes*®
Lushbaugh®
Moritz and
Moritz and
Moritz and
Moritz and
Henriques™®
Moritz and
Mice
ye
Henriques”
Pigs
y"
‘Henriques”’
Pigs
y*
Moritz and
0.5
0.3
.
1,500
2,500 - 6,000
nature of the pigment ia not known. Since it occurred in all exposed American Negroes, many
of the Marshallese, and none of the American whites, it is a radiation response pecultar to
negroid races, The pigmentation was apparently produced by ag little as 75 r of gamma radia-
tion since the American Negroes developed the phenomenon in the absence of significant contamination of the hands.
3.8
CONCLUSIONS
As a resuit of this accident the following conclusions can be drawn with respect to beta
damage to the skin.
a. Serious skin contamination of personnel from fallout may occur many miles from the
detonation of a nuclear device. Resultant radiation damage to the skin may be the major radiation effect under conditions where early evacuation from the fieid of radiation reduces the
whole body exposure.
:
b. Fairly extensive skin lesions resulting from fallout beta radiation apparently produce
little or no systemic or hematologica) effects.
c. Decontamination of the skin must be prompt to be effective because of the initial high
beta dose rate.
d. A latent period of a few days to three to four weeks may elapse before signs and symp-
toms of skin damage are evident.
e. Clothing and/or any type of shelter gives almost complete protection to the skin.