44
{
~
<
wo
o
FEMALES
20
'
1
|
Wd
e
lay
a
*
1
m
|
|
!
_—————_—,
|
——_——)_
°
MALES
t
zt
2
z sof
|
Ctrtk were returned several months after the acci-
dent to their home island, since the level of con-
-
tamination there was very low.
!
:0]
The initial body burdensof internal emitters
;
|
45
50
35
6
6
70
75 80
were estimated from data obtained by radiochemi-
POSITIVE |
1
40
levels of activity in their urine detected by radiochemical! analysis. Following their evacuation, the
people lived for 3 vears on the uncontaminated
islands of Kwajalein and Majuro. The people of
-
INTEQMEDIATE
20
active contamination was reflected by significant
1
i
!
10k
\
-
environment and madelittle or no effort to avoid
inhaling the radioactive material or ingesting it in
their food and water. The resulting internal radio-
85
m
cal analysis of the tissues of pigs which had been
I
90 35 100 105
simultaneously exposed, and also from a compari-
TIME IN MINUTES
son of human and animal urinalysis data.*® The
mean body burden at one day wasestimated(in
uC) as Sr*?, 1.6; Bat*?, 2.7; ['**, 6.4, and the rare
Figure 48. Percent distribution of glucose-6-phosphate
dehydrogenase deficiency in males and females (percent
of persons versus decolorization time).
earth group together,1.2. The contribution ofthis
amount of internal contamination is small com-
relatively high BAIB values, which suggest that
there may be an Asian focus for the high BAIB
sure, Sr®° and I[**' (plus the shorter-lived todjne
excretor gene.
isotopes) contributed the greatest internal radjation dose. Sr*? contributed the major portion of
Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase Determination. One male( #11) decolorized at 102 min
and was classified as positive; three females (+18,
22, and 851) decolorized at 80, 85, and 93 min, re-
the beta dose to the skeleton at this early time.
The highest dose to an individual tissue (100 to
spectively, and wereclassified as intermediates. The
distributions are shown in Figure 48.
The glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficlency appearsto exist in the Rongelap population, although in fairly low frequency. The number of tests done was too small for any final con-
clusions to be drawn, andit is important that these
results be confirmed on subsequent visits, particularly with tests done in the field in order to
eliminate the possibility of sample deterioration
year, 1958, a “portable” steel room and a whaole-
INTRODUCTION
*«
In considering the evaluation of the radionuclide
- body burden of the Rongelap people, the follow-
tion), they lived in a radioactively contaminated
In the spring of 1957, 3 years after the accident,
four Rongelap people, two Utirik people and one
unexposed Marshall Islander were taken to
Argonne National Laboratory, and gamma spectrographic analyses were carried out in a wholebody counter. Distinct photopeaks indicating the
presence of significant levels of Cs'*?’ and Zn*°
were detected in the spectra of exposed Rongelap
ence demonstrated the feasibility of using in vive
whole-body counting techniquesfor estimating
body burdens in these people. In the following
Radionuclide Body Burden
Evaluation
the fallout occurred in 1954 (prior to their evacua-
150 rep) was delivered to the thyroid by I'*' and
the shorter-lived isotopes, I'*?, I'**, and I'8°.
people and the unexposed subject.*** This expert-
during transport.
-ing facts should be kept in mind. During the two
days that the people remained on theisland after
pared to the 175 r external gammadose received.
In the first few monthsfollowing this acute expo-
body gamma spectrometer were constructed at
Brookhaven National Laboratory which could be
transported to the Marshall Islands for use in fur-
ther studies.
In July 1957, after careful radiological surveys
which showed theisland of Rongelap to be safe
for habitation, the people were returned and
settled in acompletely new village which had
been constructed for them. Low levels of contamination persisted on the island, which have since
b189994
ene