Evening star., 1955-06-14
Perspective on FoH-Out

In the sudden outburSt of speculative
stories about Atomic Energy CommiS-
Sioner Libby'S recent address, the main
emphasis has been placed on phrase
of his suggesting the possibility that the
United States has developed super
super atomic-hydrogen bomb that adds
fearsome new dimension to the ire
mendously complicated problem of try
ing to control and prohibit A and H
weapons. The bomb, according to the
speculation, involves three-Stage
f1ssion-fuSion- -fission reaction in which
one of the chief ingredients is abundant
and relatively cheap uranium 238.
This may well be true. But DR.. Libby,
when he spoke in Chicago on June 3, had
no intention of stirring up lot of excite
ment and guesswork. His primary pur-
pose, instead, was to discuss the menace
of radioactive fall-out and lend perSpec-
tive to its bearing on the genetic or re-
productive health of mankind And he
did so in way that should help to mod
crate the many exaggerated viewS-both
alarmiSt and complacent-that have been
expressed on the subject. Thus, as shown
by the text of his address, he very def
nitely does not go along with those who
warn that the human race is in danger
because of past and current experimental
atomic-hydrogen detonationS. But he
recognizes at the same time that the
radioactivity problem is not to be laughed
off and that it could become, in certain
circumstances, a thing of the utmost
gravity. His views in that respect COIN
eide with those of the Aces Advisory
Committee for Biology and Medicine.
The committee, after remarking that
coSmic rays and other natural irradia-
ton probably cause many so-called spon-
taneous genetic mutations in man, has
declared as follows:
The radiation produced by fall-out
from atomic weapons tests as we'll as from
present and future peaceful applications
OF nuclear energy will result in additional
mutations in human genes. At the current
rate Of irradiation from fall-out, among
four million children born each year in the
United States perhaps from hundred to
several thousand may carry as a result of
this irradiation a mutated gene. . Only
slowly. over hundreds of years, will the
majority of these radiation induced genes
become apparent. No measurable in
Servable at any time as the result of
current weapons tests. The foregoing
conclusions apply only to the genetic effects
of weapons tests carried out at the present
level and Of foreseeable peacetime uses of
atomic energy. The genetic effects of
generalized nuclear war would be one of
many catastrophe consequences of such
disaster
In sum, like the Acc committee, DR..
Libby believes that teSt-cauSed fall-out,
even though it has genetic effect, does
not constitute serious hazard and that
there will be no such hazard except in
the case of an all-out war or some ex-
traordinary and widespread increase in
the current rate of experimentation. And
his views on that score have been pre-
Sented with such persuasiveness that
there seems good reason to believe that
they will be confirmed in due course by
the findings of our National Academy
of Sciences, which is now engaged in
an exhaustive study of the subject On
the whole, the picture thus is fairly re-
assuring.