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The prc duct ion end isolation of pluto ni w,for use in the a tonic b ~ x br ezre - ser,ts one o f tile grez test scientific and industrial achieveaents of all tine. The span of three years fr on August, 192 t o August, l9,!4.5, saw the cox ~ plat eevo1uti;n from a stage in which the element existed only in sub-xicroscopic qx nti ties to a final climax i n which it rained utter destruction on a Japanese city. lis - he nt is all the more remarkable bscause of the fact that the process by which the plutonium v;as obtained resulted in the generation of unbelievable amounts o f deadly rz dio a ck ire rh diz t ions which stood guard over the precious mtc rial likes me ogre inan slricient castle and challenged the ingenuity of chemists, physicists, and engineers to iso lats the desired product withoxt them elves becoming victim of delivered to its intended destination with cuta single casualty or even near - casualty among the hosts of workers required for its product i cn is due largely t:, the untiring efforts of a large group of radiologists,bio lc gist s, biochemists, biophysicists and physicians working asa team under the leaders;?lp ofDr. Robert S o Stone, eninen t radiologist and head ofthe X-ray departmeni; That the " ope " was completely worsted and tha atomic boEb a't the Zn ivers it y of California. It was recognized early in 1942 by Dr. hi E. Conpton, Director of the Plutoniurr, F'roject, that the ,job that hzd been under t ski3 was an ex tren ely hazardous one from the viewpoint of health protection. Dxrins the lz st war the methods o f painting watch dials with radium paint resulted in the death of several workers. X-rays and radim hava tak sn their toll of physicians,physicists, and others who have worked with them. Here was a nevi source of ra6i at ions with amounts beyond all previous, conceptiocs. Hoilr was the health of the 'uPjoikzrs, in clu d inc many ofthe leading scientists of ths wcrld, t o be preserved ? It was evident th2.t tha only hop of avoiding disastrous consequence to project personnel ws s to enlist the aid bf the best radiologists obtainable and turn the problem of health protectiolz over t:, them. Dr. Stone was selected to head the program in the s mx er of 19&-, and he as ably .,dish Tumor Institute at Seattle, Washington. It was inmediately apparent to Dr. Stone anc Dr.Cant ril that the problem before them consisted of two pcrts. and information that had become avail z ble in the handling of x-rays, rndium, and neutrons in the setting up of safety procedures t o be follewed i n e.11 re sen r ch and production work on the project involving all r sdio cc ti ve hazards then kcmin. other was to find out ES rz p idly8s possible what spc cia l hazards existed on the pl u - One wzs the a ppl icc tion of all ofths experience This called for c comprehensive res ez r ch progrsrn i n rr,?.ny spec is liz sd BEST COPY AVAILABLE
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be conducted by remots control devices behind tkAck shi z lds. The rc sul tis tkt from the tim z the ur miu q (which i s safe t o handlz without shields)is inssrt.-,d i n the mts rial which he i s Froccssing. lights end. w.Bc cmt in u o us rb cords of tht? r t : d i - it ion in the ve riou sco rir crZt.s :ire in s tz llc - d in the bu il cli rg s :ni! arouad the grounds of the o peret in5 ;li^nts to giv a ticns where ex ploy ics :.:;ort:sd eight lio us just to bc sure the xii x cls :.;auld detect anything the ir!s-,rw.ents did not. Aninals of vz.ri3t;s species xc re exposed tothe Tnti pluto niu n project wzs sponsorod by the O.S.E,D. until Lk;', 1'943. The Army bec mein t are stad ii it cnd its health pro blas nu.zh e r : rlicr3 hos:cv~r. liaison officer with him on the plutonium project, IJ April, 1943, Dr. (now Col..) appointed Chiif ofthe Xedical Section of the Naz?.?:.ttm Engineer District azd Lt. it a ted tho hc.lth :.;ark ontht plutonium project tut have seen th z t the ii:fcrmation
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visiting professor Z t the VniversiQr o f Chic-go, hes been a specio,l advisDr t o fir. Stone, zl on c with sever ~ linsabers ofthe di-Jisioiis of bio l3g ical sciences LL t the