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Eq has is in the resezrch program under way a t tec tion devices; (2) disposal of r - dio active wastes; end (3)effect of rzdicztion on genetic Los ,21zios Labcratcry: (1) synthesis of vita in s Fad drugs containing redioac tive elements; (2) experimmtally produced radia- (3) methods of prompt detection cf ovcrexposure lism of fission products; (2) mcthods of det cc ting elpha particles; md(3)to xo logic d
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portion of the body. the detection of thyroid cancerous growths in various parts of the body. This technique when used with radioiodine permits(4 Effects of irradiation on amino acids. Studies are being conductal at Reed College, Portland, Oregon, to determine ionizing effects on biochemical compounds, such as the animo acids. to animals prior to irradiation. protective action is apparent. unknown products are formed when cysteine is subjected to X radiation from a cobalt 60 source, formed was identified as alanine (also an amino acid). This has not been demonstrated previously, and studies will be continued to determine whether the products formed by the decomposition mechanism bear any relation to the protective action of cysteine. One of these acids, cysteine, has been found to give some protective action against radiation when fed c No evidence as to the nature of this It has been found, however, that several In recent experiments, one of the products Toxicity of iodine 131 in sheep. Iodine 131 is a principal . constituent of concern in the disposal of gaseous wastes emitted by the separ.ations plant stacks at Hanford. toxicity to establish firm permissible exposure limits, a continuing experiment utilizing sheep, the common grazing animal of the region, was initiated at Hanford in 1950. Specifically, the immediate objective was to determine the permissible concentration of iodine 131 on vegetation contaminated by stack effluents. Doses of I 131 up to 5 millicuries per day were fed to sheep for 20 months. Results indicate that no pathology was evident in the thyroid or in any other tissue. Since,theamount of radioactive iodine fed to the sheep was many times the amount of intake from local vegetation, the danger from fall-out hazard would be considered minimal. However, supplemental studies will be conducted to determine possible application to man, as well as animals. In order to obtain data on iodine Development of organ perfusion apparatus. A medical research group at the University of Minnesota has developed, in the course of their studies on.porphyrin metabolism, an inexpensive organ perfusion apparatus. The device has been used by this group for various organ perfusion experiments including liver, whole leg, heart, kidney, spleen, and thyroid. This apparatus will circulate several hundred milliliters of blood per minute 'and can be adjusted for either a controlled rate of blood flow or a controlled pressure (either constant or pulsating), with automatic compensation to correct for changes in resistance of the organ.l While its use to date has related primarily to isotopic studies of porphyrin synthesis by the liver, it is expected that the apparatus will eventually prove of value for a variety of other biochemical and Conference on infection and immunity factors. A conference on infection and immunity as factors in the response to whole-body irradiation, sponsored by the division, was held in Washington on February 20,
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Weapons Test Activities tional ~ lan sand arrangements for the civil effec s prop w ich wil l- L - be a part of forthcoming tests, are being completed on schedule. The group office-atCamp Mercury, Nevada Proving Ground, was activated on February 26, -1953, to handle final preparations. participating in Operat ion UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE totaled 184 as of February 2, 1953. Maximum attendance of 146 at the Nevada Site is scheduled for the week of March 16. A "Security Guide for the Civil Effects Group and the Test Operations Group" has been prepared for personnel use during the procedures for such matters as personnel clearances, physical security, and the like for participating personnel. Civil effects group personnel The guide specifies security responsibility and prescribes Biomedical experiments (Program 23). Under the civil effects program, a.n extensive series of genetics tests willbe'conducted. The overall objective is to determine the kinds of mutations and the dosagefrequency curve resulting from the fast neutron irradiation of the atomic The objects to be exposed are the classic genetic test materials which have been used for establishing the mechanism of heredity and from which data may be extrapolated to human subjects. employed spontaneously and following X irradiation and gamma irradiation, has been the most used obJect for studies of gene mutation frequency. Plant material, especially the budq of the spiderwort, Tradescantia, has been very useful in determining the special kinds of mutations due to chromosome breaks. Such species are fairly hardy, and they w i l l be compazed with other material such as wasps, corn, and jimson weed seeds, and also fungi and bacteria. At lower dosages a small number of mice will be exposed in order to get comparisons with a warm-blooded mammal like man. A l l of these specimens w i l l be exposed to neutron beams (with gamma rays screened out) in containers sunk in the ground at appropriate intervals from ground zero a?d covered with heavy lead shields. have at least preliminary data on the genetic effects of fast neutrons by breeding tests at a number of University laboratories and at Oak,Aidge National Laboratory within a few weeks after the tests. The fruit fly, Ib-osoplila, It is hoped to uation of both data, it'appears necessary to will be made at a later date in the test series. Telemetering of radiological data Laboratory tests have been completed of the telemeter operation during test activities at the Nevada Proving Ground. A radiofrequency l i n k is used in the system to transmit information on radiological as well as meteorological conditions from areas within and s u - rounding atomic test sites. The equipment has been shipped to the test ch will be in