Letter to L L Strauss, Subject: Summary Report on the 51ST Meeting of the Advisory Committee for Biology and Medicine Held at Oak Ridge on May 5,6 and 7, 1955

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ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION Honorable Lewis L. Stsauss This i s a summary report on the f'if.ty-flrst meeting of the Advisory Cod tte e for Biology and Medicine held at Oak Ridge on May 5, 6, =d May 12, 1955, concerning the genetic effects of ionizing radiation with particular reference t o radioactive fallout from atomic weapons. The minutes of the meethg atOak Udge d.I.3. reflect the extent of the visit to the semral facilities at Oak Ridge where the conduct of research on matters of health and safety uere of particular interest to the Cod tte e. There are, however, two segments of the bfmedical program a t Oak Ridge todch we would like t o Invlte the Coda don ~ a partLcnlar attention. They are the large animal experiment program at the University of Tennessee farm and the mouse genetics program a t ORNL. O u r thoughts with respect to these programs are discussed i n Research on the effects of radiation is not, as a matter of sound Nevertheless, the results of This report will supplement our views communicated t o you an F the following paragraphs. AEC policy, conducted on human subjects. research with animals ultimately must be extrapolated t o man. Small animals are practical and e cond cal in certain types of radiation experiments (the use of mice i n genetics, for example), while the use of large animals in hole body radiation experiments provides a sanewhat more reasonable and conservative bads for extrapolation t o ca,lly designed t o Irradiate large animals (burros) with a view toward the possible relevance of the research results t o certain human systems and responses. me program i s well conceived and, insofar as we were able t o obserw during our visit there, is quite acceptably executed. The project warrants, i n our judgment, the continued support of the U C , . -'i-- . The gamma radiation field at the University of Tennessee farm i s Unique in that it is perhaps the 00Am: fac iut y 8pecifi-

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and we have suggested, moreover, that a Connittee be appointed t o consider ways i n which even greater advantage might be taken of these Unique The other program which we would U e to mention is the no e genetics program a t ORNL. For some time Dr. Russell has been conducting,7Lgh level (300 - 600 r) studies in mice with considerable S~~CCBSS. known, however, about genetic effects of repeated low doses of radiation. We have suggested that here, too, a Cod tte e be appointed t o meet wlth Dr. Russell and t o evaluate the feasiMUCy of experiments in the 25 r I n view of the prdse of the work a t Oak Hdge in mouse genetics, and the importance of the uhole genetics field to the Cds sion, the Committee felt that a mre formal expression of ita dews t o you might be useful. Accordingly, two resolutions were adopted, t h e first with part3m1I.m reference to certain projects at O m , the second bearing on the overall genetics program. Not ds much is It was resolved that: n view of the growing awareness of the extreme importance agents t o nsinimize injury, it is recanmended that this work "That the genetics program be expanded substantially i n order t o provide the data needed in mammalian genetics.n lo o*zprotection against radiatton and the use of recovery Ifeel that the Camraittee also would like me t o colmnent t o you on the extent to *ich our visits t o Commission installations, such as Oak Ridge, are made useful and productive from our point of view by virtue of the thoughtfulness of the AM: and contractor management. The schedule planned and maintafnedkt Oak Ridge showed a thorough appreciation of our problems and a keen perception in the selection of facilities to be visited and the amount of time alloted t o each. As you know, Dr. Curt Stern is retiring from membership of the uted ina verg aubstanIAal way t o the Comission's program i n genetics and his unselfish devotion t o the AEC mission has Mgured importantly i n the development of a sound scientific program. -As a replacement f o r Dr. Stern, we have recommended to Dr. Bugher the appointment of Dr. HI Bentley Glass of Johns HopkFns University. zb'. Qlass is known to us scientifically as aman of very considerable competence in the field of genetics.

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The next regular meeting of the Advisory Committee is scheduled to be held on Friday and Saturday, September 9 and 10, 1955, i n the offices of the Commission, Washington, D. C. Meanwhile, the C d t t e e has asked meto inform the Conmrission that we stand ready at all times t o be called w o n to consider such urgent and special problems as may f a l l Tdthln our field of competence. Gioaccbino Fail la Biology and Medicbe