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entists in a secret government project injected 18 men, women and children, all of whom were considered terminally ill, with overdoses of bomb-gnde plutonium three decades ago, federal researchers said SaturDr. James Liverman of tbe rnent Administration said that periment was forgotten for about 20 years and that records are sketchy today. But, he said, there is no evidence that any of the 18 suffered ill effects from their injections. Some OF the injections were given at Billings Hospital ence Trends, said present-day researchers who recently learned of the experiment, find but valuable from the lessons it taught about effects of PlutoLiverman said three o l the IS subjects - two men and a woman - still are alive. He said one, a black mab in. Texas, is “healthy-for a man . h his late 70s” and was told. the -nature of the. injection about two years ago. The other three, Liverman said, arc in told because of their mental or about medical practices in the late. 1940s; suggest that the first .17 people were told only that they were “in a terminal illness and the government Selection of subjects was based on age and health, ERDA said; It said the preference was for persons 45 or olde r who were expected t o die within 10 years.of an existing As Mes ian said seven sub- ’ fects died within less than a year, three within one to three . years, one after 14 yqrs, m e after 20 years and one about a 01 the most toxic substances ’ known to man. Even small ’ of causing cancer. that the rediscovery and renewed study of the 18 injection subjects, plus the cancer-free records of 25 persons exposed to plutonium in preparing ear- , ly bydrogen bombs at Los Alamos, N.M., will. help reduce fears about the danger of plutonium fuel in proposed nucleamounts are believed capable i