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The thirty-second meeting of the Advisory Committee f o r Biology and Medicine was held i n St.. Louis, Fiissouri on June 7, 8, and 9 , 1952. An informative tour was made of the fialljnckrodt Chemical Plant on Nonday, June 9, which had been arranged by Dr. Perry Morgan, the Area Nanager, through the courtesy of Staff of Division of Biology and Medicine Minutes of Meeting held a t on April 4 and 5, 1952. Dr. Alan Gregg, Chalrman Dr. Gioacchho Fail la The first order of buztiness presented t o the Committee was the draft minutes of the meeting held at the AEC on April 4 and 5, 1952. motion by Dr. Stakman and seconded by Dr. Goodpasture. The minutes were approved vnanimously upon a
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Iso toms Pronram Dr J We en breseriked policy change i n the Isotopes for Cancer Program which had been discussed a t the 3lst meeting held on April 4 and 5, 1952. Yequested that the Committee fomn'ally record its telephone approval of t h e plan t o charge 20 per cent of the 'cost price for isotopes t o be used i n cancer research and therapy. He pointed out t h a t this plan has been approved by the Advisory C o w t t e e on Isotope Distribution and will be put into effect by the Cormnission on July 1, 1952. The Committee voted t o lend approval t o tb plan for the AEX to charge 20 per cent of t h e fLlu catalogue list price for isotopes t o be used in cancer research and therapy. The Committee further recomended that the Division of Research be advised that-it heartily endorsedthe item inthe Research Divisionfs budget for the development o f methods for processing cesium which promises t o be an extremely useful isotope f o r teletherapy. EI connection With the sta%ement that the QEC will charge 20 per cent of production cost for radioisotopes, see letter to Senator McKeUar dated May 27, 1952 with attac bents,listed as Report on Research Proposals Approved, Renewed, and Declfned durim A D ~ Uand May. 1952. Research proposds totaling 128 approved or renewed during April and through May 20, 1952 were thoroughly reviewed by t h e Cormnittee. The subjects of t h e eight projects declined were
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merits of making research aontraots dfrectly with an operating agency as opposed to an investigator as an individual, and it was the unanimOus opinion of the Committee that contracts should be made directly with an operating agency, such as a university or researchlaboratory, request that kEC give financial support t o "Riological Abstracts" i n addition Then followed a discussion of a the ALAS and the American Institute of Biological Sciences should also give some financial support. should make every effort t o avoid-'duplication of material that appears in It was further suggested that "Biological. Abstracts" It was moved by Dr. Stakman, seconded by Dr. Wearn, and unanimously approved that an expression of appreciation should be forwarded t o the Commission f o r providing the Division of Biology and Medicine with a sufficient travel dlotment t o permit on- and off-site visits by the staff t o the projects and t o the investigators. (List of projects attached as Addendum Nor 2) Patent Clause The subject of a patent clause i n liEC contracts was presented f o r t h a t no exceptions t o the pakent clause should be made for the Harvard I n this connection the Cod tte e was adamant i n its expression
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contract AT(30-1)609 which the Patent Wanah would not be willing to mito into B & N cbntracts oh isme scbpei Overhead Dr. Warren opened a discussion on the problem of overhead. He reviewed the draft paper which had been cirdalated previously t o the members of the Committee and asked f o r an expression of their views with special emphasis t o be placed on the last paragraph of the papers n1tis believed that an overhead allowance of 15% of direct expenses on lump-sum research contracts would represent a more equitable share of the cost of doing research and would put the llEc ina stronger position to insist on joint-participation. However, it is believed t h a t the 8% figure should not be abandoned and the 15% figure adopted in F.Y. 1953 unti3, (I) the budgetary picture for that year is clarified and the increased costs adjudged feasible; and (2) there has been a determination by the hr bl ic Health Service as toits future overhead policy." A full discussion brought forth many diverstfied views. k motion was made by Dr. Wearn and seconded by Dr. Fail la to increase the mount of overhead from 8 per cent up t o 15 per cent for the fiscal. year 1954 pending receipt of a study fromthe American Association of Medical Schools or tb NAS. Motion was voted down; four to three, It was the sense of the Committee that there be no increase i n overhead until participating universities and institutions provide precise information as to their jncreaued overhead costs. kfter further discussion, upon a motion made by Dr. Stakrnan and seconded by Dr. Wearn, it was approved unanim0usLy that the American fissociation of 14edical Schools and the IUS be
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asked t o make a report bnthe hbkemed indirect costs t o participating A further motion was made by Drc Stahan, seconded by Dr. Wearn, and approved unanimously that the NAS be requested t o make the report t o the AEC within a period of six months. Upon the receipt of these reports the question of overhead w i l l be reconsidered. Permissible Radiation Doses for Civilian and FI il it ary Situations. Dr. Warren and Dr. Wrgher reported on the permissible radiation doses f o r civilian and military situations with regard t o radiation exposure allowable for pilots of sampling aircraft during operation IVY. It was stated that (1) the approved emergency permissible dose level for a single exposure for persons not working regularly with radiation and not t o be repeated, i s sr as established by the Division of Biology and Medicine; (2) it is understood that adequate sanpling cannot be carried out unless exposure of t h e order of 20r is received by the pilots; (3) it is further realized that up t o 25 per cent error in estimathg the dose Uill occur; and (4) the maneuvers t o be performed by the sampling pilots are compucated and t h e wearing of cumbersome protection would hamper the success of the mission and indeed the survival of the pilots. It was recommended that’ the piJ.ots of sampling aircraft be permittedto receive a dose of 20r with an upper limit of 25r. It is further recommended that, these pilots not be-used in subsequent operations where more than &he nomal. permissible dose of
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radiation will be received, except id the event that their services are necessary t o avert an imminent threat Co the national security* Director of t h e Division of Biology and Medicine forwarded the above information t o Brigadier General E. J. Kendricks, under date of June 17, 1952.) Industrial Hygiene and D r . Dunham reported on the Industrial Hygiene and Health Study of Uranium Mines and Mills. He reviewed an interim report made Qy the U.S. Public Health Service covering " me rien ce in European Mines; Radon, Its Biological and Physical Properties; Summary of Medical Findings; Surmnary of Environmental Findings; Discussion of Control Measures and Recommendation. It was with satisfaction that the Committee learned that the U.S.P.H.S. recornendations included the statement that pre-employment and periodic medical ozaminations should be done on all workers i n mines and mills. The medical studies recommended include detailed occupational and medic a1 histories, thorough physical exadnations (including skin examination), laboratory analyses of blood and urine, and chest X-rays. It was further recommended that it would be desirable that the periodic examinations be performed annually on every worker. Radiation Accident a t ANL. Dr. Warren reported on tk radiation accident a t ANI, which occurred on June 3 . He advised that the four scientists who received radiation exposure
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appeased t o be i n good condition, will be most important i n determining the future clinical course and the hrther bldddl'vation during next few weeks treatment neaessary to aid in their complete recoveryo Civilian Defense and Military bstrumentation 202 Radi as z Mr. Butenhoff briefly described the present trends in civil defense and military instrumentation. He stated that the FCDA has not contracted for any davelopment work o r general procurement of radiation instruments for civil defense use. tions on equipment have been issued t o guide state and local. civil defense Helpful bulletins and specifica- .officials in their radiological monitoring planning. Weapons Effects Handbook D r a Warren advised the Committee that from measurements taken i n recent atomic bomb tests it is apparent that under actual field conditions the blastpressure curve does not consist of a vertical front followed by a single smooth curve.. (Instead, the rise i s not vertical and the following curve i s irregular and has several peaks.) I n view of additional data he believed a revision should be made of the curves which are now shown in "The Effects of iitomlc Weapons." It was pointed out t h a t the matter is not urgent, beczuse (1)the inrpulse-tb product of pressure m d tim-which, rather than peak pressure, is critical in many instances, is relatively unchanged, and (2) what error is involved i n the present data, when peak pressure is critical, is on the safe
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Mtei! a full discussion the Committee concluded that the chapter pertaining t o blast data i n the Weapons Effect Handbook should be revised, Preliminary Results from D r r Warren and Dr. Bugher summarized the results o f the dust and fallout studies a t the mC Test Site during the spring of 1952. outlines and intensity of fal out in the 10-50 mile zone and the particle size distribution and specific activity of the fallout. A data summary chart was circulated uhich was of great help i n evaluating fallout phenomena. Goodpasture upon his retirement from t h e Committee f o r his services rendered to the AEC since 1947. He further commended kim for his independent thinking asa scientist, as well as an achninistrator, and for his candidly expressed convictions on all major problems. Dr. Joseph T. Wemn Dr. Wearn was selected unanimously t o serve as Vice Chairman of the Committee upon the retirement of Dr. Goodpasture, effective July 1, 1952. Next Meeting. The next meeting of t h e Committee is scheduled t o be held at the AEX i n Washington, De Cr on Friday and Saturday, September 1 2 and 13, 1952, Plans are inthe offing for the Committee t o hold a meeting i n Chalk River, Ontario, Canada, on Friday and
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Saturday) Jahuary 9 and 10, 1953. Technical Cooperation Rranch of the Division of Research. The visit will be arrmged though the