Document text
Machine-read from the scan, so expect some errors. Lines that couldn’t be read are left out.
Page 1
Analysis and Assessment Program Division of Bi medical and Environmental Energy Re search and Development Administration I have read the proposal and proTress reports Dep-aining toDr. return them herewith. Evaluation of this material is difficult, and is not made easier by the excessively repetitious,garrulous and diffuse style in which it is vr it ten. It is easy to understand why a study of the Er-Alth of these occupation ally exposed workers i s necessary. flowever, I am not convinced -:.t- scudy requires to be prosecuted as this contractor has done over the years and as he apparently proposes t o continue. The first requirement for a scientific invest ig at cnr is that hs be clearly aware of what he is do irq - what are i he liz it a2ons which his methods impose upon the nature of the conclusions that k!Wlll be able to reach. Like most studies of humans, the present one 5 s - ab serJ at ional not experimental. That is,the observer has no means, lip3 randomization, t o in sure that his "study1' population will be truly con ? able with his "controlst'. Y or tal it y rates anon2 human populations CG easily vary by 50 percent or mcre de?ending upon differences in socioizz.3nornic sxius, no adtlquate source of coaFzra5le co fitr ol sexist ; , it is +=Le= tha: thc only radiation effects that could be identified with conf icc z ce would Se effects that are very larp,e, 3nd tha: accord with ex gec t atl on 3zs-ed upon studies of populations that hx ! been elvsosed t o xuch larger coses,
Page 2
The present contractor spears t o thinIi that iz *%s by excan2irig the population under stud v to every possible employee be will somehow solve some of these problems. He i s m.crd.y multiplying It seems tome significant that, among the expcrsed Hanford employees, there has not been as in q le death from leukemia; I czzz alp agree with the conclusion in Progress Renort $11, that to this date, cmL&nce of excessive cancer mortality anong the exposed Hanford en ploTs is unconvincing. to study persons who had very small doses not very nu=% a'rove backrrccnd. medical X-ray ex?osures far exceeding the occupationa2 & xes udsr sruay. probably unknowable. Under these circumstances i t is F&ve to iz a zine late radiation effects in nai tells us th st if any ef fec so cm f xi this effort in the study of "longevity", which is affected -?a host of c5er .problem arising out of the myriad of factors that may ,Effect mrti1it:r fron cardiovascular disease, from kidney disease, from a lcd noli sm, etc. T'ney should devote less effort to multiplying the nucber 05 contractors sjhose employees are to be studied and concentrate on thegr + ncr~being studied. In particular,with the basic study not really well SEE up as yet(apart irom tianford) diversion of effort to workers employed 5.1plutonium processing would Se a mistake. of studying such vor!ters - only that these invest ig at zz dread ? have more t o do than they can acc on pl ish comfortably. This i a plies no j udF ent com=zzminz the de sir a5ilitg It should be noted that the work has apZarentL5;- 'ken doce very carefully and conscientiously. In part, the very long dek qrs have resulted from the investigators ' determination not to rush to conchs ions based on erroneous data, and for this they ate to be commended, But si..ta neo us dedication to meticulous care and to indefinite expansion into new vhts seems tome to be a recipe f o r enornous ex?ensr, and no product. I hope this is helpful to you. .