“KON
Biopsies of three piamernted lesions SOpe
taken from 2 of the wi te \inerieans of tie
Rongerik group. Gils
ot Soshowed evden:
of damage, which ws -leht vee cor tined te tt
epidermis,
ayer
tions of skin at this time revealed same changes
persisting in the epidermis ane te a lesser ex
tent in the dermis
Plites ™ ond
ayy
Epidermis. The follow ng changes were
found to varying degrees focal atrophy of the
stratum granulosuri, -ligh! focal pigments
disturbances in cells of the basal layer: slight te
moderate hyperkerutinization . ind slight dis
turbances in polaris foepithedal cells in the
still persistent basel papullury proyections
In the vermis telanygiectasis super
ticially persisted from a -lght 0 moderate de
gree in most of the sections, ind contributed the
only abnormality noted
3.33
33
eourred ipone of the Americans, characterized
» joose far upon combing but without areas
Oo Pionec ta
Regrowth
of
hat all
individuals com-
rence some time during the third month after
Lhird series—Oth mone’ past ea posire,
Dermis,
Pra TION
LESION
Epilation and Nail Pigmentation
Fpitation. The iperdenve ind time of appear
ance of epilation in the various groups 1s illus
trated in Tables 3. and 3.4, und Figure 3.1
Epilation was first observed of the fourteentt.
post-exposure day ii the Rongelap group. wna
somewhatlater in tie other groups.
fy wast
aspotty nature and was confined almost entirely
to the head regior.
Epilation Was divided
arbitrarily into 3 legrees of sever'ty * +
indicated loss of hate withou! obsions thinning
“a+ indicated Joss of bau sutticrent te cn use
thin spots: and “89+ isdieated sar extensive
epilation with bald spots
Table 1
iHustrates
evposure
(ft the 6 months’ examination com-
Hete regrowth of hairy normal in color, texture,
iad abundance had taken place. Plates 13-15,
os aad 19 show epilation and regrowth of
i}
Sal Puqientation. An unusual observation
Sis tae appearance of a bhush-brown promentamaf the fingernails which was first well documented on the 23rd post-exposure diy. Phe «issetoration began in the semilunar area of the
tt gernasds to « lesser extent in the toenails),
ard ~pread OVEN ard sometimes 1 streaks.
As
the discolored area grew distally the semilunar
aren ustutlly became clear, Plate 20 shows pigmented bands 11 the nails at 77 days. At Six
Hhomtos, plementation had grown out with
the nails. and was no longer evident except in
three cases which still showed pigment at the
tistal end of the nail. The prgment was on
the ancler side of the nail plate. Discoloration
of the niatls was seen in a large proportion of
tetova higher exposure groups (Tables 3.1 and
i
Vhe phenomenon appeared to be a radia-
Fete response peculiar to the dark-skinned races
Soee twas seen mall of the exposed Aimerican
Negroes ine none of the white Americans supbese ly recelving the ‘same exposure. This
iedon was not observed .n the Utirik people or
4 unexposed Marshallese. Since the nail pigmentation oceurred in individuals without skin
ledons,
appeared to be the result of a more
Penetrating gamma component of radiation.
that there was a wreater iegree of epilation it
the children +0 to 1) vears)
34
owredi over GO) per
cent developing ep:lation to some degree as
compared to only vx perrent ou the older ige
group. The preponderar-e of -calp lesions i
the areas of epilation ondiented that raciatio
from the fallout materia or the ski was or
marily responsible for the ep iat om, Only trree
cases of mild ep latio:
teveloped in the
Ailinginae children aia Hest ermible ebrbat an
tae
Verarsesr
Therapy
Or
‘acweds von-specific.
the
skin
lestons
was
Most of the superficial
heqons were treated with calamine lotion with
neooercent phenol, which im most cases reeve the itehing and burning. A few of the
syperpigmented Jesions not relieved by ealahae
oS ty phenol were treated with pontocaine