3
that in 1959 the meanerythrocyte levels were slightly
lowerin the exposed people. These blood elements
in the Ailingnae group also showed someslight
depression below the unexposed levels but not
quite so markedas seen in the Rongelap exposed
group. A general anemic tendency was noted in
the Marshallese, both exposed and unexposed.
Price-Jones curves, on the average, showeda slight
microcytic tendency. Serum iron levels were generally normal. The fact that someofthe blood elements in the exposed group have notyet returned
to the levels in the unexposed groupraises the.possibility that a residual radiation effect on the bone
marrow persists, but other, not immediately ap-
parent, factors may be involved.
Reticulocyte counts have been about the same
in the exposed and unexposed people.
Bone marrow examinations on a numberofexposed individuals at 6 monthsand 3 years post
exposure showed no abnormalities or deficiencies
of cellular elements.
:
Clinical examinations revealed no disease processes or symptoms which could be attributed to
radiation effects, aside from skin lesions, loss of
hair, and early symptoms. No specific therapy was
given. Epidemics of chicken pox and measles occurred. The diseases encountered were no more
severe or frequent in the irradiated group than in
the unexposed group, even during the period of
greatest depression of peripheral blood elements.
At 3 years post exposure the immuneresponse
to primary and secondary tetanus antitoxin was
tested and found not to besignificantly different
in the exposed compared to the unexposed populations.
Four personsin the exfiosed population died of
disease: (1) a 46-year-olda@fan with a hypertensive
heart disease which hadbeen present at the time
of exposure, who died 2 years after the accident;
(2) a 78-year-old man whodied, 3 years after ex-
posure, of coronary heart disease complicating
diabetes; (3) a 36-year-old man who diedof acute
varicella, 4 years after exposure, who had received
only 69 r, having been on Ailingnaeat the time of
the fallout; and (4a 60-year-old womag,who died
of a cancerof the ovary at-&years after-exposure.
There was no apparent relatlonship between any
of these deaths MM ‘radiation exposure. Four
deaths have occurred in the comparison population. The four deaths that have occurred in the
exposed people since exposure represent a mortality
rate of 8.1 per 1000 population, comparedwith 8.3
for the comparison population and 6.8 for the
Marshall Islands as a whole.
Certain findings were possibly related to the
radiation exposure, such as loss in weight ofseveral
pounds in most of the people during the first
several months after exposure and suggestive evidence of slight lag in growth and developmentof
the children based on studies of height, weight,
and bone development(but inconclusive perfling
verification of more exact ages of some of the
children).
In connection with gfowth and development gilithes,
a project on the verification of accuracy of ages of
the children has not been completed and, there-
fore, the suggestive evidence previously presented
of possible lag in statural growth in the exposed
children must await confirmation. It was neted,
however, that in the 6-year chronological age
group, three boys and onegirl out offive boys and
two girls in the exposed group exhibited significantly retarded skeletal maturation as judged by
x-ray examination. The birth dates of these chil-
dren seemed to be fairly well established.
It was difficult to evaluate the effects on fertility.
However, a reviewof the d:rth rate of the exposed
group over the past 6 vears seems to indicate no
noticeable effect of their exposure on fertility. The
2+ births represent a rate of 48 per 1000 populauon, compared with 37.3 for the Marshall Islands
(1957). The 20 births over a 3-vear period for the
comparison population represent a rate of 62 per
1000 population. A somewhatgreater incidence of
muscarniages and stillbirths has been noted in the exposed women, but because of the paucity ofvital
statistics in the Marshallese and the small number
of people involved, the dataare not reidily ame-. ="
nabletoghatistical analysis.
me
=
A cardiovascular survey of the adults(1
(1959) shiwed
no outstaitding differences between the exposed.
and unexpewed groups. The people appearedte-
haveless Hypertensign on the whole thawig ngted
in peopleintneconiietal Upited States.
An
fis Survey (1959) showed no greatdifferences between the exposed and the unexposed
people, and about the sameincidenceas is seen in
American populations.
Ophthalmological surveys showed no remarkable
differences between the exposed and unexposed
groups except possibly a slightly greater number
of cases of pterygii, pingueculae, and cornealscars