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OFFICIAL USE ONLY September 24, 1964 - AEC HQ, Germantown, Maryland OFFICIAL USE ONLY BEST COPY AVAILABLE
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OFFICIAL USE ONLY The 105th meeting of the Advisory Committee for Biology and Medicine to fie Atomic Energy Commission was called to order in Room E-401, AEC Headquarters, Germantown, Maryland, at 9:00 A.M., September 24, 1964. Commi~tee members Bale, Cohen, Green, Hodges, Russell and Sterner were in attendance; Dr. Moore participated in the meeting on September 25; Dr. Loeb, member, and Dr. Patt, Scientific Secretary, were unable to and Medicine, and various members AEC Divisions. Dr. Paul Tompkins Radiation Council, also attended. changes in the composition of the L. Dunham, Director, Division of Biology of the DBM and representatives of other and Mr. Claire Palmiter, of the Federal general interest items noted several staff of the Division of Biology and Medicine, notably the impending departure of James Liverman, who has been appointed Associate Director of the Biology Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the appointment oi Dr. John Kirby-Smith to replace Dr. Liverman in the Biology Branch; the acquisition OE Dr. Martin Minthorn from the University of Tennessee as biochemist to t;leDBM staff, and the temporary detachment of Dr. William Burr for four months’ internship at the Washington Hospital Center. Dr. Dunham also announced t,leresignation of General A. R. Luedecke as General Manager of AEC and the appointment of Mr. R. E. Hollingsworth, formerly Deputy Manager, as General Manager. Dr. Anton Lang, plant physiologist, from California Institute of Technology, has been made director of the Michigan State University plant The Committee was briefed concerning the present situation and activities of the Atc)mic Bomb Casualty Commission in Japan, recently visited by Dr. Dunham. The revised amortization agreement between the Division and Michigan State University was outlined for the committee, and the initial meeting of the National Research Council Radiation Effects Committee advisory to the Federal Radiation Council, was described by Dr. Dunham. It was reported that among those who were on the Island of Rongelap March 1, 1954 and exl)osed to approximately 175r of external radiation over a Period of forty-eight hours and to approximately 150r additional radiation to the thyroitigland from ingested radioactive iodine, two children have been founcl to Ilave papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. Thyroidectomies have been performed on both children. OFFICIAL USE ONLY
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OFFICIAL USE ONLY We were told that by Congressional Act the National Council on RaiHation Protection and Measurements has been chartered and has been reorganized with a $50,000.00 budget, hopefully to be derived from various interested organizations, including AEC and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, among others. It was reported that the General Electric Company is withdrawing from its managerial position at Hanford and that Batelle Memorial Institute has been asked to take over operation of the laboratories. Policies and practices related to the provision of medical care for workers and their families must be re-evaluated in the light of legal restrictions regarding the corporate practice of medicine which did not apply so long as the people involved were the employees of the G.E. Company. The Committee was briefed on the recent radiation accident in Rhode Island where a small, privately owned non-AEC plant was eng~ged in the recovery of fissionable material from fuel element manufacture. This was not processing of spent fuel elements. One death occurred 49 hours after ~h exposure. Although no serious spillage or surface contamination had occurred, hospital personnel and others shunned the patient. The operation was a licensed one and the question of possible AEC legal responsibility The Committee was informed that in keeping with its recommendation Dr. Gertrude COX has been invited to become a member of ACBM. Dr. William Pollard’s medical program at Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies has been reviewed by a committee of which Dr. Henry Kaplan was chairman. This is a $1.3 million project. Dr. Dunham described the committee’s report and offered his own comments. Salary schedules in all government activities, newly revised, were presented and described by Mr. Stanwood and the status of the budget for DBM for FY 64 and 65 was described and discussed by Mr. Whitnah. The 71 million budget for FY 64 was increased to 78 million for FY 65, 2 million less than the amount requested by AEC. The comments of the : Joint Committee on Atomic Energy concerning offsite project approval procedure were again reported to us. In addition tocperating funds three construction projects have been approved. One at Hanford, one for the Joint AEC-NIH Cancer Project at Oak Ridge, and the building at Livermore. The various AEC agencies under DBM have requested $93,000,000 for FY 66. The Commission approved a DBM request of 89.5 million and the Bureau of the Budget has submitted reduced target figures for consideration. There seems to be reason to believe that ceilings are in sight for federal research OFFICIAL USE ONLY
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OFFICIAL USE ONLY Mr. L. J. Deal reported interesting information concerning the BREN 2 pro~ect (re-named HENRE - High Energy Reactor Experiment) involving the production of a 14 MEV neutron beam by means of a newly designed accelerator to be mounted on the original BREN tower. This instrument will have a neutron flux of 5x1013, Dr. Liverman reported on the survey of Iceland as an interesting and valuable site for a cooperative human genetics program. The situation has much to recommend it and cooperation of the Icelandic government appears to be assured. It is planned that DBM will enter the study on a limited basis at the outset. The Committee heard from Dr. Edington a most interesting discussion on genetics research in which he argued for utilization of some of the basic techniques from drosophila genetics in genetic research in order to obtain faster and more accurate results. The entire Livermore project was outlined and described by Dr. Loug~I. In general, the review committee was favorably impressed with the project. The California Institute of Technology. and the University of California plan to utilize new knowledge developed at Livermore for teaching by means of “teletec” transmissions of lectures and discussions. One member of the visiting team prepared a minority report concerning undesirable depth of effort and needless diffusion in his estimation. Mr, Jared Davis reported on the DBM studies in Alaska and Mr. Arnold Joseph did the same for a resurvey of Bikini and Eniwetok Atolls. The long range plans of AEC research support were once again reviewed by Dr. Walter Claus. The goals of DBM were again enumerated. Committee members were asked regarding the most desirable aims for future activities. The meeting on Friday, September 25, was held in Room 1167, of the DBM is involved. Robert Lowenstein and his associates presented the present status of regulations regarding licensing of physicians who employ radionuclides. Dr. Barr reported on research activities in radioIn the executive session, Dr. Totter, who had been requested to do so by’the Committee, presented in detail the procedures utilized by DBM in reviewing requests for of6site research support. Plans were laid for thoroughgoing review by DBM of these procedures preparatory to the Committee’s forthcoming report to Chairman Seaborg. Drs. Totter and Dunham offered unlimited assistance by DBM staff members to the Committee in its OFFICIAL USE ONLY
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OFFICIAL USE ONLY review and report. Material requested by the Committee is to be forwarded to each~ember in the very near future. The Minutes of the l(14thmeeting were read and approved. The next meeting is to be held at Chalk River, Ontario (Atomic Energy of Canada, Ltd.) Friday and Saturday, November 13-14, 1964. OFFICIAL USE ONLY