Evening star., 1949-08-19
Is Years Study Needed
To EvuIuute Atom Effects
Little Residual Effects Shown
On Nagasaki Survivors
By Thomas X. Henry

y
It will be Is years before the full effects
of the atomic bomb blasts on the survivors
at Nagasaki and Hiroshima can be fully
evaluated.
On those individuals who still are living
there appear to be no serious residual effects
four years afterwards according to the semi
annual report of the Atomic Energy Commits
sion. To date the commissions investigators
have found no increase of any disease, in
cluding cancer.
All available medical records of the sur
vivors, both before and after the bombings.
have been collected. These, admittedly, are
quite scanty. During the past six months
normal blood samples have been collected
from all the victims, including some who
received heavy enough doses of radiation to
lose all their hair. No significant differences
have been found, the commission doctors
report.
Studies on Intermarriage.
Another study has dealt with intermarriage
within families which, including remote
cousins, may run as high as Is per cent.
This is expected to be of considerable value
in checking on the effects of the radiation
on heredity but the next generation will have
to reach maturity before many valid con-
clusionS can be drawn.
About the most frightening aspect of radi-
alton injury at the time of the bombings was
that of delayed deaths. Persons who at first
did not seem seriously exposed suddenly
sickened and died few weeks later. 1t ma
turally was feared that there might be
still longer delayed action, but this worry
seems to have been set at rest by the latest
studies of individual victims.
After four years. the Commissions in
vestigators have found, only the area OF
about 100 acres Immediately around the
bomb crater still emanates dangerous radi-
alton at the site in the New Mexican desert
near Alamogordo where the first bomb was
dropped. Wild animals captured during
the past year year outside the fenced zone
appeared to be in good health and normal
in every way Their bodies contained no
significant amounts of radioactive material.
Even around the crater itself grass and
weeds are starting to grow again and DO
not appear greatly changed
Range Cattle Exposed.
At the time the bomb was dropped
number of range cattle were exposed to
radioactive dust They were gathered up
and taken to the University of Tennessee
at Knoxville where they are being watched
carefully Results to date are quite en-
couraging Of the so COWS 43 are still
alive. Seven have died from causes which
could not be associated with the bomb.
A total of 81 calves have been born. Both
parents of 33 of them were exposed. All
the offspring appear normal and there Is
no evidence of loss of fertility.
Studies of the animals are being made
every six months to detect any delayed
changes. Experiments are planned to de-
termine the dangers of eating the meat OF
such radiated animals
University of Michigan scientists, the
Commission announces. are now developing
blood test, similar to one of those now
used for syphilis, which will determine
quickly the extent of radiation damage to
an individual. Some of the most notable
effects are those on the blood, due chiefly
to injury to cells or the bone marrow where
the blood cells are produced.
Meanwhile, major efforts are being made
to determine just how cells are injured by
various types of radiation. A valuable tool
being used at the Commissions Argonne
laboratory near Chicago is the wing OF a
small bat. It is about thousandth of an
inch thick and transparent. 1t is possible to
observe directly just what happens to the
blood flowing through such wing when it
is irradiated.
For studying the effects of radiation on
specific parts of cell one OF the most
delicate instruments known to science has
been devised. 1t is a beam of invisible
light about 25,00Oth of an inch in di-
ameter. Thesaverage human cell is about
10 times this size.