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This one-page document is a photocopy of an article entitled, "18 injected in 1945 plutonium testing," by george c. Wilson, washington post staff writer. From the byline, the publication was probably the washington post newspaper. No date of publication was given. The article provides a summary of the plutonium injection of 18 people between 1945-1945, stating that the project was sponsored by the manhattan engineer district, which was a code name for the government's secret effort to develop the world's first atomic bomb. The article states that queries of erda about the plutonium studies at 4 different hospitals was prompted by an article about the study program that occurred in the february 23 (1976) issue of the washington-based newsletter, science trends. Erda was quoted as saying that one person is sure to have given his consent to the injection of plutonium in a leg afflicted with bone cancer that was scheduled for amputation. A spokesperson was quoted as saying "records on the plutonium experiment are so unclear that it is not known how the test subjects were selected and that it is possible that more than one of the 18 was told the truth about the injections." erda stated that there were no plans to launch an investigation to learn more about the study. The agency "conceded that such an injection program would be considered unethical today."
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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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18 Injected id945 Phtolhm Testing By George C. Wilson The government injected plutonium into 18 people from 1945 to 19.17 in a n experiment aimed a t delermiiiing what the poispnous. radioactive substance would do to workers manufacturing the atomic bomb. the code name for the government’s secret, successful effort to develop the worlds first atomic bomb-sponsored sons linea what the injection was. The test iubjects ranged in age from 4 ; 68 and were all believed suf fen rp One test subject died last Year. of the fou: who Ivere IiVhg! last year, three h a d ’ been told after the injections what had been done to them. The fourth was not h l d the ERDA spokesman said. because the tamily doct o r advised against it. The ERDX fact sheet on tions said that seven people who received them lived less than one year afterward; three lived between one and three years; two between 14 and 20 Years; one 28 years; two unknown, and tbree a r e still “There is no evidence to suggest that the plutonium course of the diseases,” ERDA’s fact sheet said. However, ERDA said t h e dia a os is of stomach cancer jccted with tosic plutonium ERD-4 said the supposedly fatal diseases of the persons. injected with plutoniunl included cancer, duodenal ulcer, heart discase, hepatitis, sis of the liver and severe injuries from a n auto acci-s u hattan Engineer District hospital in Oak Ridge. Hospital of the University of Rochester; Billings Hospital of the University of chjtal of the University of Caliwuhlnrton Post Buff Writer from terminal illnesses. aecording to the Energy Research and Develop. ment‘ Administration. Three of t h e subjects are still alive. ERDA confirmed the injection program in response to queries prompted by an article about t h e program in the Trends, dated Feb. 23. The one person ERDX is sure gave his consent to the injection, a spokesman said. received plutonium i n a leg afflicted with bone cancer and scheduled f o r amputation. The amputation so successfully arrested the cancer that the man is alive today. His 1 ~ 4 7iniertion was the last one given, The spokesman said records o n the plutonium experiment a r e so unclear that it is not known how the test subjects..were selected and that it is possible that more than one’ of the 18 was told t h e truth about the injections. ERDA has no plans to launch an investigation to try to learn more about the injection program. a spokesThe agency conceded that such a n injection program would be considere d unethical today. The spokesman said ERD.4 k n o w of no plans of suits against the government by the three survivors o r heirs of those who died. See LVJECT, AI?, Col. I The purpose of the study was, according to the ERDh fact sheet, to zather needed on retention and escretion of internal Pluto-- nium for setting safety crite- I cording to t h e government. An ERDA spokesman said t h e standards that evolved irom tlic cspc?ricici:t are The injections were given to 13 males and 3 females between April. 194L before esploded in Japan on -\ug. year-old boy injected with plutonium in California had bone cancer and died five months afterward, according ERDX said thc injections nf plutonium ranged from doses twice what scientists a t thc time believed the human body could stand without causing bone can- I cer or other sorious damage t o 145 times the limit i n Science Trends newsletter said t h e injections were the equivalent of from 100 to 800 years of radiation esposure workers ordinarily wouid receive on ajob where piutonium was used. Little was known about how plutonium affected the mation about its effects is far from complete today. The feileral government learned much of what it n o w knows about the way the body handles plutonium by measuring the amount of it t h e 18 subjects escretcd in ERDA said the esperirnent was so secret that the plutonium was referred to An ERDh spokesman said the government prepared a fact sheet on the plutonium .injections in 1974 alter the cussed in scientific circles. of t h e study,” ERDX said, tricia Durbin entitled, Look a t the Old Data,’ which was included in the