Medical Survey of the People of Rongelap and Utirik Islands Eleven and Twelve Years After Exposure to Fallout Radiation March 65
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flNl 50029 (T-446) . MEDICAL SURVEY OF THE PEOPLE OF RONGEIAP AND UTIRIK ISLANDS ELEVEN AND TWELVE YEARS AFTER EXPOSURE TO FA11OUT RADIATION (MARCH 1965 AND MARCH 1966) ROBERTA. CONARD, M.D., LEO-M. MEYER, M.D., WATARU W. SUTOW, M.D., JAMES S. ROBERTSON,M.D., PH.D., JOSEPHE. RALL, M.D., PH.D., JACOBROBBINS,M.D.,JOHN E. JESSEPH, M.D., JOSEPH B. DEISHER, M.D., . AROBATI HICKING, PRACTITIONER, ISAAC lANWI, PRACTITIONER, ERNEST A. GUSMANq PH.D., AND MAYNARD EICHER . PRIVACYACTMATERWREMOVED PRIVACYACTMATERIALREMOVED BROOK HAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY . ASSOCIATED UNIVERSITIES, INC. under controct with the UNITED STATES ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION . I — LEGAL NOTICE This report was prepared as an account of Government sponsored work. Neither the United States, nor the Comnsiasion,nor any person acting on bchalfof theCommission: A. Makes any warranty or rcprcacntation, expressed or implied, with respect to the accuracy, completeness, or uscfufncss of the information contained in this report, or that the usc of any information, apparatus, method, or process disclosed in this report may not infringe privately owned rights; or B. Asaumcs any liabilities with rcapcct to the usc of, or for damages resulting tlom the w of any information, appamtus, method, or process disclosed in this report. As used in the above, “pcrsom acting on &half of the Commission” mcludcs any em- ployee or contractor of the Commission, or employee of such contractor, to the extent that such employee or contractor of the Commission, or emplovee of such contractor prepares, disseminates, or provides access to, any information pursuant to his employ- ment or contract with the Corru-rkion, or his employment wuh such contractor. Printed in the United States of America Available ffom Clearinghouse for Federal Scientific and Technical Information National Bureau of Standarda, U.S. Department of Commerce Springfield, Virginia 22151 Price: Printed Copy $3.00; Microfiche $0.65 April 1967 1150 copies BNL 50029 (T-446) (Biology and Medicine - TID-4500) MEDICAL S!JRVEY OF THE PEOPLE OF RONGEIAP AND UTIRIK ISLANDS ELEVEN AND TWELVE YEARS AFTER EXPOSURE TO FALLOUT RADIATION (MARCH 1965 AND MARCH 1966) I ● ELEVEN-YEAR SURVEY ROBERT A. CONARD, M.D.,1 LEO M. MEYER, M.D.,2 WATARU W. SUTOW, M.D.,3 JAMES S. ROBERTSON, M.D., PH.D.,’ JOSEPH E. RALL, M.D., PH.D.,’ JOHN E. JESSEPH, M.D.,1 AROBATI HICKING, PRACTITIONER,5 ISAAC LANWI, PRACTITIONER,5 ERNEST A. GUS~ANO, PH.D., 1 AND MAYNARD EICHER6 with the technical assistance of WILLIAM A. SCOTT, 1 DOUGLAS CLAREUS, 1 LAWRENCE COOK,1 ERNEST LIBBY,3 KOSANG MIZUTONI,5 SEBIO SHONIBER,5 W. GAYS,5 AND KALMAN KITTIEN5 TWELVE-YEAR SURVEY ROBERT A. CONARD, M.D,,l JACOB ROBBINS, M.D.,4 JOSEPH B. DEISHER, M.D.,S AND AROBATI HICKING, PRACTITIONER with the technical assistance of WILLIAM A. SCOTT, 1 DOUGLAS CLAREUS, 1 SEBIO SHONIBER,5 AND NELSON ZETKEIA5 1BroakhavwNationallokarotory,Upton,NewYwk1I973 WatiOnolInstitutwof Health,Bethesda,Marylond2W14 ‘long IslondJewishHospital,them’s Nw@ol brstw Affiliotii, ‘kpmlnsont of hdko[ %vkes, Tmst hsitosy of thehCifiC klonds, Jamaica,NewYork11432 Saipon,MorionaIslonds969S0 ‘M.D.AndwsonHespitol,Univwsityof Texas,Hwston,TDXOS7702S ●NOVOIMed”mlReseorshInstitwte,Bethesda,Maryland20014 . B RO OK HAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY UPTON, NEW YORK 11973 1 2 3 5 .5 6 8 8 10 10 10 11 11 11 12 14 14 14 14 15 16 16 19 24 24 25 25 Dietary Iodine and Urinary Excretion of Iodine. ,. 26 Thyroid Uptake of Radioiodinc ...... 26 Serum Cholesterol .............. 27 Discussion of Previous Thyroid Studies ........ 27 Development of Thyroid Abnormalities. 29 I 1- i — -~ .. k“ suM?.sAaY:, . .. .. ........ 64 -k .’ Interval Medicd Histoq ...........................~...."...... ............ ............................... 64 Physical Findings ..... ... .. ... .. ... .... 64 Thyroid Findings 4’ Other Studie-.. ...................................... ..........." A & Estimation of Lnternal Body Burden &&dionuclid= .................................... ......+.................... 65’ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . ... ... ... ... 65 REFERENCES.. 66 +,,-.>,:;:. -. ,. ..= * AppENtNx 1. Bibhq&tphy .......... ..? ... ....... ........?.......... ................... .......-... ....._..~....... 69 ‘- APPENDIX 2. UCRL 12273 - Estimate of Radiation Dose to Thyroids of the Rongelap Children Following th? Bravo Event andCalculation of Urinary Radioiodine Excretion.................................................................................................................. 79 A AppENtxx 3, Individual Serum Iodine Det&i&ations of Marshall Island Populations Under Study ........................................................ 86 APPENDIX 4. Urinaq Idinc Excretion ............................................................................ ............ 93 A51pENDIX 5. Cholesterol Lmels ............ ........................................................................................ 94 APPENDIX 6. Hospital Summari& of Thyroid Surgical C~~ .................................................... 96 APPENDIX 7. Malignancies Rec&ded in Marsi@l Islands, May 1952- October 1962 and Number of Patients With Maligr@iNeoplasms Discharged From Hospitals, 1962- 1965 .......................................... ........................................ .......... ................ 110 APPENDIX 8. Rongelap Group and Control ..Blood (km-m at Various Times After Exposure9 ... ...................................................................... 112 APPENDIX 9. Ailingnae Group and Control Mean Blocd Counts at Variom Titi~Mer Ex~re ......................................... ................................... 113 *PENDSX 10. Utirik Group Mean Blood Coun@ at Various Timca Af&r&xposure., ,..,. ......~.. 114 ,.= APPENDIX 11. Indivi&al Hematological Ftiin~, 19ti ........................................~. ................ 115 -.!,. APPENDIX 12. Individual HematoIO@l Findings, 1966 ........ ........... .,, ,.., .................-~..~~ 127 ,- . APPENDIX’13. fn~vidual Basophil Determinations, 1965 ................................ ..,...~... .... ..~. ...+-- 135 * . ,=--- APPENDIX 14. @%mosome Studies& Marshallesc iJeo~Ex~ed to Fall& Radiation.,..-.; 137 APPENDIX 15. Total Bldand RdCell Volume Data ................................~...... .................. 149 APPENDIX 16. Studies on Australia Antigen in Micronesia Population ......... 150 APPENDSX17. Gamma Spectrographic Data, Rongclap People, 1965 ... .~-..... ...&........... 154 APPENDIX ] 8> ~um-137 and stsurtti-~ketention s ;>: mowing an ~ Ingcation of Rongeiap Food: ....”J.”..~....... ... ..._ ....z.... -159’: ‘.-”-% . -. .“ 1 ‘::” --- +. ,.- . ,.y .*= ‘ .=- ● .,. _-... ,y- ...a. .*. .. 9-..-=.;. — Surgical Cases ,. 31 Grcm Appearance .... 31 Microscopic Appearance ................ 33 Thyroid Function Tests Related to Thyroid .4bnorma1ities and Growth Retardation 33 Results of Thvroid Hormone Therapy 40 Discussion of Thyroid Findings.. 40 Aging Studies ................ 43 Methods ...... 43 Integument ..... 43 Special Senses. 44 Cardiovascular Changes. 44 Neurological and Neuromuscular Fun~tion .... 44 Miscellaneous Tesu .... 4.5 Correlation of Data.... 45 Results of Aging Studies 46 Discussion of Aging Studio .... 46 Hematoloqical Studies 51 Rongelap Population ........ 51 Ailingnae Population 54 Utirik Population. 54 Children of Exposed Parents... 55 Leukemia Survey .......... 55 Statistical Analysis of Rongelap Blood Data ...... 55 Chromosome Studies ...... 55 Other Laboratory Studies ................. 57 Total Blood Volume and Red Cell Volume .... ............................................ ..... 57 Test for Amtralia Antigen ........................................................... 58 Estimation of Internal Body Burdens of Radionuclides 58 Whoie-Body Counting ....................... 58 Radiochemical Analysis of Urine ...................... ....................... .. ... 59 Results and Discussion of Body Burden Estimation ..... 61 Comparison of ‘3’Cs Levels in Marxhallese and Alaskan Eskimos .... 63 Radiochemical Analysis of Coconut Crabs ..... 63 iv ..:..:-4 e., . MEDICALSURVEYOF THE PEOPLEOF RONGELAPiAIIiti’-’IJiiiilKlSM’iM ELEVENAND TWELVE YEARS AFTEREXPOSURETO JAiKkii:iiADiATt@l ‘-” — (MARCH 1965 AND MARCH19i##-.= --’-..“ .-..-+-..“’::”..:.,. -= -*. .‘.. Introduction ceived only an external gamma &$& of about 69 rads. There were 28 American setviccmen on the The re.<s of a medical survey of the people of island of Rongerik fitrther to the east.w.ho received Rongelap in the Marshall Islands, carried out in about the same amount of radiation as did the March 1965 and March 1966, 11 and 12 years Rongelap people on Ailingnae~” Lastly, 157 Mar- I after the accident, are presented in this report. shallese on Utirik Islan~ abotlt~200,~iles further ● These people had been accidently exposed to fall- east, received an estimated 14 +,of whole-body out radiation following a detonation of a high radiation. The fallout was not iiidkle on this island yield thermonuclear device during experiments at and no skin effects developed _~ Bikini in the Pacific Proving Grounds in March The exposed pcofle wefc~,~ted from these 1954. An unpredicted shift in winds caused a islands by pla+e as@ ship ab-o”~j? days after the deposition of significant amounts of fallout on four accident and .@& to Kwajalein Naval Base inhabited Marshall Islands to the east of Bikini about 150 [email protected]@ the south, where they re- (see Figure 1) and also on 23 Japanese fishermen ceived exttive @&ninaio+bi.the following 3 aboard their fishing vessel, the Lucky Dragon. Of months. During @&priOdJV@FOUS