"feasability Study of the Correlation of Life-Time Health and Mortailty Experience of AEC and AEC Contractor Employees with Occupational Radiation Exposure"

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Medical Research Branch Division of Biology and Medicine U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Much of the flight from Washington t o was occupied trying to collect my thoughts t o respond t o your charge that each of us who participated in the Scientific Review of "Feasability Study of the Correlation of Life-time Health and Mortality Experience of AEC and AEC Contractor Employees with Occupational Radiation Exposure" submit t o YOU our reactions tothe recommendations of Mancuso and his colleagues. AsI know you are aware, your charge is a difficult one, for numerous reasons. Many aspects of this study, its possible ramifications, its difficult to come to grips with. Commission can have interests in this study which may transcend its '; qm modi ste scientific rewards, and I respect these interests. the AEC must confront real, day-to-day operational issues the impact o f \ which w e can only dimly perceive such as the effect of radiation hazards', real or imagined, upon personnel employment and recruitment practices, the image which the AEC projects vis-a-vis its employees, etc. ] E5zh of these are legitimate concerns, but few of us who do not have t o " bite the bullet " are equipped t o cope with any of them. cost,its impingement upon the time and effort of individuals, are---- 2\I realize that the Atomic Energy It is much easier, then, to try to come to grips with the four specific issues which Dr. Mancuso and his colleagues raised, namely, (1) Should the study be expanded t o include some o r all of t h e remaining AEC o r AEC contractor installations where exposure i s an occupationap hazard; (2) Should the study be made prospective? (3) Should an effort be made t o explore potential synergistic effects of ionizing radiation and other potentially hazardous, presumably chemical agents? and finally, (4) Should an effort be made to create a national center as a continuing repository for information pertinent to studies of this nature which impinge directly upon occupational health problems? projects of this potential scope ina conservative manner atleast until such times as their scientific merits become overwhelming. In this instance, It i s my general inclination to approach