Evening star., 1955-06-24
Atoms, Genes and the u. N.


Our Government has acted wisely in
proposing that the United Nations under
take special cooperative study to eval-
uate the degrees of genetic danger In
herent in radiation unleashed by test
detonationS of atomic hydrogen weapons.
The proposal-which has been pre-
sented by Henry Cabot Lodge, jr., our
chief delegate to the U. Ms in line
with the suggestion made last March by
the Federation of American Scientists.
Unquestionably, given favorable interna-
tional action on 1t, 1t can do much to
place the whole subject in proper per-
spective and eliminate many Of the wild
misconceptions and unjustified fears
that have been voiced in recent months
in connection with the experimental
explosions.
These misconceptions and fears have
revolved around the idea that the repro
ductive health of the human race has
been and continues to be gravely mem
aced by the A and H tests. Actually,
on the basis of exhaustive studies, the
medical and biological experts of our
Atomic Energy Commission have fatty
declared ~ that all the detonations to
date-ourS, RuSsia's and Britain's COM
bined-have caused only an insignificant
increase in worldwide radioactivity and
(2y that the prospective rate of future
experimentation and peacetime nuclear
development does not constitute truly
serious genetic hazard. But these as
Surances, which almost certainly will be
confirmed by the thorough investigation
now being carried out by our National
Academy of Sciences, have come from
wholly American sources and they have
received scant attention abroad where
there has been much Communist propa-
ganda to the contrary.
So it will be good thing If the
U. N, with Russia cooperating, embarks
upon the kind Of study that has been
proposed. The findings then will be
widely publicized, and they will be
stamped with such international impair
tiality that nobody will be able to mis-
represent them as being merely lot of
self-serving talk by the United States.
Certainly, in the words of the Federation
OF American Scientists, when radiolog-
ical information from all sources is as
sembled, the world will be in a better
position to answer the questions which
have been raised in many countries about
the possible harmful effects of nuclear
tests" And very probably, as Mr. Lodge
has said, the data thus gathered and
evaluated will convincingly show that
every nation "can be satisfied that
humanity is not endangered by these
tests" when they are subject to proper
safeguards by the powers staging them.
Moreover, apart from dealing with
the current rate of experimentation, the
U. N. study could determine whether or
not there is justification for the warning
that future accelerated H-bomb tests by
several powers will ultimately be major
menace to the genetic health of all man.
kind. Investigation conceivably may
support the warning, and in that case,
as the FAS has suggested, international
machinery might be established to keep
the number of such tests from going
beyond certain agreed-upon safety limit
or danger threshold"
Accordingly, looked at from any
angle, our Governments proposal to the
U. N. is at once timely and to the point.
The men of the Kremlin for reasons of
their own, may take a dim view of it,
but they can hardly oppose it without
seeming to vote for darkness where light
Is needed