15
another case, loss of the outer one-third of the
eyebrow hairs was suggestive of the disease, but
a skin biopsy revealed no acid-fast bacilli.
No cases of retinal scars were observed that
might have resulted from retinal burns possibly
caused by observation of the fireball of the nuclear
explosion that resulted in the fallout accident,
although many people on Rongelap reported seeing the fireball and described it as resembling the
“rising sun” in the western sky.
PEDIATRIC EXAMINATIONS
During the 1962 survey, 30 exposed chidren, 71
control children, 37 children born to exposed par-
ents and 25 children born to unexposed parents
were examined. The size of the pediatric study
population (Rongelap series) during each of the
last 5 surveys (1958 through 1962) is shown in
Tables 5 and 6, The fluctuations from year to year
in the numbers of children seen have resulted from
(a) movement, generally temporary, to other
atolls, (6) graduation from the pediatric to the
adult study, and (c) addition of newborn babies.
Attrition due to unavailability has been minimal
in the exposed group. One child in 1959 and one in
1961 could not be examined, but each of these
children returned to the study the subsequentyear.
In the control group, the attrition rate has been
higher, 11.3% for the last 5 years.
The frequencies of various abnormalfindings on
physical examination have been summarized in
Table 7. As in previous years, no consistent rela-
tionship was noted between the occurrence of these
abnormalities and exposure to radiation.
Table 5
Variations in Composition of Pediatric Population,
1958 through 1962:
Rongelap Group
Numbers of children
1958
Exposed group
In the analysis of the growth data, previously
described statistical methodology was used.’ The
children were divided into 4 groups: (a) those
exposed to radiation, including the 4 children in
utero at the time of exposure, (b) those born
before the fallout but not exposed to radiation, (c)
those born to exposed parents subsequent to the
fallout, and (d) those born to unexposed parents
subsequent to the fallout.
Height and weight data on children born before
the fallout showed the expected pattern of pubertal
1962
Total seen
39
34
36
30
30
Not available
—
l
0
1
0
Transferred to
adult study
—
4
0
5
1
Total seen
88
75
$1
75
71
Not available
Transferred to
—_
13
25
0
10
—
3
2
3
0
previous year
—
3
3
27
2
New subjects
added
—_—
—
—
—
4
Control group
adult study
Not seen
*Limited survey.
Table 6
Variations in Composition of Pediatric Population,
1958 through 1962:
Chiidren Born After Fallout (Rongelap)
Numbers of children
Exposed parents*
Numberseen
New babies
added
i958
1959
{1960**1961
1962
13
20
10
24
37
—
7
0
5
12
—
0
10
l
0
—_
0
0
LO
I
7
7
0
0
14
8
25
10
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
t
Notavailabie
from previous
Growth and Development Studies
1959 1960* 1961
year
Old subtect
not seen
previous year
Unexposed parents:
Numberseen
New babies added
Not availabie from
previous vear
Old subject not seen
previous year
“This category includes only those who were babies
at the time they were added to the study. Those who were
older at the time they were first seen have been grouped
with the regular control children.
**Limited survey.