Memo to Commissioners and Division Heads, Subject: Meeting of the Advisory Committee for Biology and Medicine

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Meeting o f thd-Advisory Committee f o r.. Biology and Medicine&CT: I The fourth meeting of the Advisory Connittee for Bio lom and Medicine w i l l be held Decenber 1 2 and 1 3 , 1947, at 9:30 A.M,, at O a k Ridge, Invitation iscc rd l ally extended to attend this meeting. Inspect ion of Fac fli ties - with Members of Staff Dinner and Informal Diacuesion ,- 2. Changes in Minutes of Meeting of Octbber 11, 1747: Consideration of Draft Minutes of November 7 neeting. *a, on page 2, line 1, insert 'land of ita ita'+ after On page 4, revise last sentence of first paragraph . Wr. Ll lien thal stated that the Co mission has under way a study of the feasibility of radiological warfarer* On page 8, revise the first half of the page (do,;, t o the new paragraph) t o read: ' Wr. Volpe stated that there was little question that the Cowlasion has rather broad authority under the related to the activities authorized by the Act.

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He BddeZ that there night be sone details in the final training progran which would. raise legal questions, and that these questions could be considered when t h e prcgran had been forrml-?-ted. Connittee then discussed the training proposal i n general and it was decided that then a tter would be discussed at t h e afternoon session." Page 9, under paragraph 4: read "based on a conyensation at the rate of $14,000 Change last sentence t o mC Directors of Divisions are all paid at the Considerat ion of Principal Recoxmendat ions of the On A w eIt;. 11, 197,a Safety and Industrial Health Board was appointed by t h e General Manager in cooperation with the National Safety Council t o cover broadly the policy and prograns of the AEC i n accident yre- ' vention, fire policy a d prevention, industrial health and public eafety. the various laboratories and facilities of the AEC and the second tentative draft cf their rer ort was Subsequently, this Board visited subnit tea on Novenber 19, 1.947. The principal. recoclnendatlons of thfe Board arc? appended, Biology and Medicine has carefully considered these facta,ee pec i ally as they concern the over+ll program The Division of and policy of the Connission and the following coordinate recornendations a r e proposed:

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~ COMMENDATIONS : . It i s reconnended that health Trotecticn be organized as a unit of the Division cf Bio lop y and Medicine It i s reconnended that close liaison be naintained at all tines with the Safety and Fire Protection units but that they do not belong naturally In this Division, ‘2. It i s reconmended that recommendation 2 be apFroved inpr inc iple It i s reconnended that the Advisory Connittee for t h e Division of Biology and Hedicine amrove reconmendation 3insofar as f t -J?ertainst o medical and 4. It i s recommended that the Adviscry Connittee for the Divleion of aio loa and Medicine approve mcon - nendatlon 4 insofar a s It pertains to medical and \1 7. It I s reconmended that a’.Health Code be rrony-&ly developed and enforced f o r each Atonic Energy Comission community consonant with the needs of the particular Medlcal Advisor of the reel on after consultation with the State Departnent of Health and with the concurrence of t h e Division of biology and Medicine. Such codea shall be nodeled after the putstanding State Health Codes and shall in all respects equal o r surpa6s the health laws of the state in which the community exist a. They shall be revised as circumstancee dictate. These codes shall be developed by the, 3-B. PRaBLEMt 1. Policy on En vi ro kent al Health Problenet A. The Disposal o f Radioactive and Toxic Wastes a. Fluid and solid wastes - A t present there is no satisfactory means .of safe, long tern digposal. Potential hazards exist at several local it ie s.

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b, Gaseous waetes are potential and 'nerhaps actual hazards at yre sent. RECOMKdMIATIONz 1. It is prorosed that the Advisory Cormittee for the / Division of aiology and Medicine recomend t h e immediate inst itut ion o f pr0,Eranmat icre search in thef hit! of waste disposal and the potential hazards related 2. It is further proposed that the Advisory Comit tee for t h e Division of 3iology and Medicine of renetlying these and that t h e neans PRQqLEM 2; Potential catastrophic hazards exist in regard t o najor fires, - RECOMMENDATION: -It is propoaeil that the Advisory Comit tee for the Division of di ology and bills be carefully personnel he dia tei y involved but t o Fot ent ially expo sed 4. In for nation as t o Budget of Division of sio lop g and Medicine. S rie foral for 1948 and Future Years, 5, Research Atonic Energy Gomission; PRO3LEM: The Sloan-Ketterhg Institute has requested further su port for 'its research projects In the mount of $4S,590 in addition to the $139,000 which waa previously allocated to then by this Dlvision through the Office of Naval Research, These additional'funds will be used t o support a bio&ysioal research progran and to pr chase equipment for apr oem Paul F. Hahn i s an eq erin en tal nathologist training at the and recently at the W-

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REGOMMENDATION; It i s recommended that the Off ice of Naval Research be notified that funds In the a xun t of $48,590 are. available t o be allocated to the Sloan-Kettering Institute for net all io lsa to pes,for the 19-nonth period from January 1, b. Jackson Menorial Laboratory f PRO%'EMs Thia labokatory has not accepted the invitation to est.%blia h their act hi ties at the 3rookhaven Nat tonal Laboratory. They have requested from t h e Atonio Enerpy Conmiasion a contract of $160,000 for construction and of $200,000 per year for orerat ion, . Thf a laboratory is The considerations which he prc?@ses are as follows:. Colonie 6of .oont ;-ol an in als maintained at centers where atomic energy i s being' generated, liberate d. . and used are necessarily more likely to be affected by such energy OF t o be confused with animals so affected than control coloniee established where such energy is not generated, liberated and used, 3y the use of ' s in llar method6 of housing, care and feeding at o enters of e Fer € mental work and at an isolated control colony, an fn als of similar strains can be directly compared as regard-s mutation rate and, type, fer-tillty,. fecundityt growth pathology, physiology and in all major biological reactions.

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3if ference s In reaction of anirnsls at Oak RidFe, Ar,eonne and 3rockhaven can be nost rmccessfully ccmvnred with a single control colony located elsewhere This would provide the A tonic Energy Oomission with : Consultative and oooperative relation e with a staff OP approximately 20 trained geneticists and bio chen l sts Interested in genetics, An adequate supply of ex per hen tal nice of desired An adequate and Isolated control colony. agreed upon number of Trustees on the 3oai.d of the Jacksoa Menorial Laboratory. . RECOMMENDATIONr It I s reconmended that e bvisory for the Division 3, Jackeon Laboratory for a contract, nent i n a point as isolated a e 3ar Harbob is questionable. The value of investfacilities of the Cowlssion would be difficult, lent investnentg at a nearer Dr, A , R. Morita le Professor of Leqal Medicine at baxd University, Be 1 s a thoronghly competent Pathologist and has done act be research work on skin burns. Dr. member of the Tracer lab, or can it ation, He has available

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nunerous c cnt acts,with the Departnent o f Fhysics o f nent inthe8ur ~ o f 813,279.20 t o Contract &Pj041-76, Project #7 f o r the pmyose o f studying "Localized 3urning of Skin by External Seta Ray 2hitters.l' It le anticipated that aside from the importance o f such knowledge and the basic problem . of' biological reaction to radiant energy it should have a n innediate practical use in e stab lie h iq aafe and dangeroue dosage for the nany workers in the radioactive field now handling be tara yeni tter s.TPhro ~ hproper choice It i s possible to select a particular isotope with a view t o if radi at lng a predetermined thickness of skin. The basic data would be derived from experiments Ferforned on the pig . for previcue lnveet l g a t ions have ,disclo sed 'remarkable similari ty in the reactions and injury thresholds of porcine and of data will be obtained within a year r It i s expected that a significant amount It is likely that the desirability of expanding these data and of exploring further the biological effects of beta radiation will cause the investigators to request a renewal of the grant fora second and possibly a third year, RECOMMENDATIONt ftis recobmended that the Off ice of Naval Research be notified that funds inthe amount cf $27,920 are ' available t o be allocated to Earvard University for euprort o f for the two-year perfod from January 1, 1948 t o January 1,

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d, Request for Supplenental SUTnort for the Harvnrd University Resezrch TR03LDI: In addition to the sun o f $110,466 reconmended at the last neeting for the Biophysics Research Program at Harvard University, a suyplenental a m of $54,592 i s necessary t o ce"- nain tain the research at its present level. The initial 1.'/ grant was for two years and expenditures for the first year were relatively low because of entailed in initiating a progran of RECOMMENXTION: It i s recomended that the Office of notified that funds in the mount of the diff i kl ties Naval Research be t o be allocated toWard University for aupport of the Efophyslcs Research Progran for the two-year peri6d from e. Ohio State Univereity Request f o r Support of Research Project. PRO3LB4: Studie 3 at these labOratOrie8 are projected along several different lines inoluding: "f- 1, Average energy deternination o f beta eni tter s. To sharpen radio-autogranhs by use of a very strong The nanufacture of -Di-neutrons by bombarding nufleroua The total funds required for these three projects problen on average en&= de terni nation of beta em ltte re ohR does not Involve biological or medical techniquet I t is I be referred to the Division of Research as this problen I recomended that the Office of Nara l Research be notified I 4 that funds In the mount of $33,000 are available to be allocated to Ohio State University for Bupyort of research in sharpening of radioautographs and t h e nanufacture of

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Janucry 1, 1948 t o January 1, 1950, any unexpended balance at the end cf the period tc revert to the Atonic Energy Conmission, 3r. % o o l i s Professor of Physics at Ohio states ; fluoresceat radiaslon and nuclear d is in te gr at Ion. He has worked extensively on netastable f , Navy Polaroid Project PROBLEM: The U. S. Navy i n conJunction with the Polaroid Ccnnany haa initiated a project for the construction of "an image type of ultraviolet n5croscope (a nicrospectrophotoneter) t o nent i s expected t o glve an l mediate quantitative picture of the ultraviolet absorption charact erlst ice. of any nat'erial qd, as such, should be a valuable new tool fn the exanination of t1ssue.fr The Navy has undertaken t o underwrite the project until June 1949 at the rate of $7,500 per nonth 07 about one-half the aurrent rate of The Anerican Cancer Society 16 Interested In possible collaboration between the Atonic Energy Connlssion, the Nat ional Cancer Ine t Itut e , and the her Ican Cancer Society. The total expenditure fog the AXC t o share half t h e support until June 1949 would be $= It-Is recornended that t h e request be -d on the basis

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yees should be retclned, there is no deterninasto when claims for illness arising fr on 3, Procedure in all ej ged ly due t o special hazards. . FROSLEM; To forrinilate a standard procedure t o be used in W dling Medico-Legal Claims against the Comission. RECOMMEIEIATION: It is proposed that the Advisory Cornnittee for the Division of 3iolog-y and Medicine reconnend thata standard procedure be established fc r handling all cases of a medico-legal nature. In view of the regional organization of the Atonic Energy Comission it i s advisable tr? have this procedure function on a regional basis under the bed late surer vision of the Manager of the3ire cte dOw ration concerned, with prompt and 'adequate in fema tip n to the Z vision of ~ i ology The following 3 s a reconnended procedure t o be' errployed: a. Innediate notification of the Manager o f Directed &erations concerned, either by the Washington Office, other Managers or their rer resent at ive, by nenbera of the sion of 3lology and Medicine, if not already cogniaant. b, Rapid relay of information to; 1. Medical Advisors, Off Ice of,the Z rect ed OTerations 2, Atonic Energy Co mls sion Insurance Sranch. c, The AEC Insurance Branch will irnnediately obtain the following lnforclaticn fortran snl tt alto the proper Medical Advieore O f f ice:

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2. Type o f work perforned, 3. Ident if i cation of known expo sure s and material 4. Records of all previous reports of injury or claims filed and act i cn taken, 5. Cony o r photostat of all plant nedicnl re cc rds ner tain inn to the ind-ividual. The Medical Advisor concerned will contact by the quickest neeaa available the claimant and his r riva te The Medical Advisor, his Medical Assistant or the approved medical con m ltd nt In the repion will in yest i gate the case. Wbenever it is deened necessary they will visit the c la in ant or his next-of-kin, with adequate consult ation with a Health Fhysiclst, The following in for nation should be obtained, 1, Transcripts of all vert fn ent clinical records including complete h i story, phyeical exaninat $on \and all rl ab oratory exaninat ions, obtain a copy cf- the for a1report Obtain the proper tissue qe c in ens insufficient quant 1t y for what ever qual it at ive and quant 5tat lve spectroscopic o r chemical analyses may be indicated, as well a8 for detailed ?athologlcal Obtain an accurate detailed radiation survey o f the body and/or tissues obtained at necronsy. Every effort should be nade t o emphasize the sincere desire of the Atomic Energy Comigsion t o deternine the actual facta and t c 6ee t4at full justice is done. the case will be forwarded to the Ti vision of …