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Machine-read from the scan, so expect some errors. Lines that couldn’t be read are left out.
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Committee for contract negotiation or renewal .during the month: Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission cently fora meeting with the Committee on Atomic Casualties of the.. National Academy of Sciences. ' investigations of Japanese exposed.to atomic bombs are proceeding satisfactorily, and h i s statements confirm findings .previously reported on the incidence of leukemia, cataracts, and genetic aberrations. Weapons Test Activities (JAN= 1 . Monitoring of radioactive fall-out. Within the test site area, . a ~ the RadSafe group mzpped out and controlled the contaminated areas. I Tha amounts of radioactivity t o which monitors and recovery parties were exPosed exceeded permissible dose i n two cases only, these t o a minor degree. Eight mobile monitoring tern, eq&pped with instruments, vehicles and radio communication, patrolled all inhabited keas within a 200-mile ' segment, and informed the control point & t o the'degree of radioactive fall-out. In no case did such radioactivity begin t o approach a hazardous level, although vehicles and plans for emergency evacuation were available had serious contamination occurred. 2.5 milliroentgens per hour i n the vicinity of Ely, Nevada, resulting in. a calculated total 'exposure of about 60 milliroentgens. mately the dose which may be taken daily for an entire lifetime. The highest level observed was about abbservations of radioactivity i n the air were made by members of t h e , qi e al th and Safety Division of the New York Operations Office. . Stations ' located i n the downwind segment, at Elko (Nevada), Wendover, Salt ,, 3ake City and Delta (Utah), and Idaho Falls (Idaho). The highest values sfa ct iv it yin the cir were found a t Elko, where 0.18 microcurie 'per The 24 hour a v e r q e was about 0.003 microcurie per cubic meter. level agreed upon by the FeasiSility Committee (July report)was 1.0 microcurie $er cubic mter. Heme observed levels f zi led to 'approach
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Analysis of soils samples. Analysis of soil samples collected from the fall-out from the surface and underground bursts at the Nevada Test Site has provided useful data f o r the evaluation of the overall ’ health hazards of atomic explosions. on the land and absorption by ilants i s the beginning of a major pathway for uptake by man of fission products and induced radioactive elements.. Deposition of radioactive particles Addition& samples of the dirt and fused glass of sodium, potassium,. and calcium silicates around the surface crater have also been collected. ., This material has been s&t t o the AM: proJect at the U. S. Department of Agriculture at Beltsville, Maryland, for chemical and $ article size analysis and for studying its rate of uptake by plants growing i n various soils. Minute particles of - the fused soil constitute an appreciable port i o n of the radioactive dust cloud and it is desirable t o know its solubil it y and rate of solubilization on various soils, especia3ly eastern acid ones. Previous %est of the fall-out on the s o i l from around the’old ‘Alamogordo tkst crater in New Mexico had indicated that the radioactivity was taken up by the plants very slowly over a period of several years. However, the western desert s o i l has an alkaline character while eastern soils are predominantly acid. times more soluble in slightly acid solutions. Therefore, it i s desirable . t o obtain more information on the rate at which radioactive fall-out will be absorbed by plants from dust from an underground explosion. It is known that glass silicates are many . Study of long-range effects. The study of long-range effects which may r e s u l t from the detonation of a large number of atomic bombs was begun several years ago. subjected t o careful scrutiny i n the light of new information gleaned from recent bomb tests, and a revised report was prepared. I n November, this. report and the various questions of climatology, fall - out, and biologics effects of bomb debris were carefully considered by an 6 committee of appropriate specialist& assembled. by the Division of Biology and Medicine. This committee agreed i n essence with the conclusions of the report and went on t o consider short-range effects as well. Results of author of reports ), Edward Teller (LASL theoretical physicist), Joseph Kaplan .(UCLA geophysicist), Leo Marinelli (ANI, radiologist and health physic is t), Col. Benjamin Holzman (USAF meteorologist), Sterling Hendricks (USDA soil expert), William Urry and Donald Rock (MOAT-l), Shields Warren Mezther Service a n d staff members of Divisions of Biology and Medicine, During the past few months, the question w a s again This group was assisted by Dr. Sverre Petterssen of Air hlilitzry Application, and Reactor Development. e
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the shelter was built in two sftctions, each of different materia '&d In order' t o obtain maximum test data to support theore,tical,design shelter covered with3feet and 3feet,8, inches of earth over the con-.. Crete and metal pipe, respectively, with 'a capacity of 48 persons. structure was located 800 feet from'ground zero of Shots BAKER, CHARLTE, and IX)G, and a greater distance from Shot EASY, of Operation BUSTER. I .' Shots CHARLIE 'and DOG exposed it t o estimated b l a s t ; radiation,, and thermal effects of greater severity from each shot than t h a t ' a t ground zero from a 20 kiloton atomic bomb detonated at a 2,000-foot height. The shelter . . success hl ly withstood the ,individual and cumulative blast overloadings ' with light to moderate observable damage. Final evaluation o f radiation, pressure ,'and displacement measurements will furnish' valuable' data f o r future consideration with respect t o 'gamma radiation, reflecte'd static side the shelter and th kir effects on occupants., . . The data obtainedsfrom this ' test will be made available t o the . FCDA for review and study,' and its applicability t o ' civil defense' practices for protective measures. Instrument Loan Program Instruments were provided for FCDA for use i n the three touring and are operated by the Valley Forge Foundation for FCDA. These convoys have been prepared.
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diplotene stage, immediately preceding the actual di hsi on ' of 'the ceU nucleus. It has been found .that nucleic acid (DNA) is actively synthesized up to t h a t time, and then remains constant: Thus it i s believedt h a t chromosome,breakage; or mutationj is' associated with DNA; synthesis, even though 'this is not the only.fact;or i n radiosensitivity. Protective Chemicals t o Living Cells ' *. The protective action of' certain chemicals against irradiation , . damage to living cells continues t o be a subject of majoc. interest at diation, and most chemicals which give 'increased protection againstkadiation damage are oxidizable compokds. ' Recent work bas show. how this' .. remove .oxygen.'from within knd around bacterial cells, and this decreases Preparation of the 1952 edition of the Radiation Instruments Catalog has been initiated. The new issue will be about one-third the present size and will represent a considerable savings i n publication.cos'ts . ' md an improvement. i n format. a report on a tritium air monitor developed a t Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, and a progress report on the.development of the special .photomultiplier tubes a t RCA Laboratories under' AEC contract. Both of these items have been of interest to AEC personnel as well as to other governmental agencies, and the articles provide considerable Visitors t o Radiation Instruments Branch I n November, the RIB received 15visitors from the following Research Lzboratory, Westinghouse Atomic Energy Laboratory, El-Tronics, Inc ., Bechzn Instruments, Inc ., Nuclear Instruments and Chemical Corporat i o n , Landsverk Electrometer Company, Office of Naval Research, Navy Department 3ureau of Aeronautics , Princeton University, and t h e 'National Ericson Research Laboratory, Radio Corporation of America