Evening star., 1957-04-27
Putting 1t in Perspective

Coupled with the technical paper
he has just read here before the Ameri-
can Physical Society, DR.. Willard F. Lib
by's letter to DR.. Albert Schweitzer should
do much to clear the air of gross mis-
conceptions about the hazards of radio
active fallout from nuclear weapons tests.
Dr. Libby, the scientist member of
our country's Atomic Energy Commission,
is by all odds one of the worlds leading
authorities on this subject Accordingly,
his latest report on it should be reassur-
ing to all those who have been confused,
If not frightened, by some of the more
lurid and irresponsible things that have
been said about how the tests are endan-
gering the health and life of humanity.
Actually, according to his most emphatic
judgment (Which is based on exceedingly
elaborate StudieS), no such peril exists
at this time, nor is it likely to develop
at the present or prospective rate of
experimentation.
Thus, as DR.. Libby has written to
DR.. Schweitzer, what should like to
demonstrate to you is that the risk is
extremely small compared with other
risks which persons everywhere take as
normal part of their lives. To 60
into more detail there are two pos
Sible hazards. The first is the genetic
hazard due to radiation of the repro
ductive organs by penetrating gamma
radiation, and the second is the hazard
due to the irradiation of the bones by as
simulated Strontium-90, taken up largely
through food" and capable of causing
bone cancer and leukemia On both
counts, however, DR.. Libby has offered
the following encouraging observations:
In order to understand the degree of
these hazards. it is necessary to compare
the amount Of radiation dosage received
from fallout with the amount Of radiation
dosage normally received by all living
things because Of the natural radioactivity
in the environment. In this way, it is
possible to put the hazards from weapons
testing into the context of normal human
experience.
When this kind of comparison is made.
1t becomes apparent that we all carry
in our bodies. and have in our surround
ings. amounts Of radioactivity very much
larger than those derived from radioactive
faIiout. CoSmic rays have their radia-
tion effect. There are other varia-
tions in the natural background" dos
ages. For example. people living in certain
localities of uranium or thorum minerali-
zation will receive much more radiation
than the average. Living in a brick
house, rather than in a wooden house, will.
with certain kinds OF bricks in certain
parts OF the world, increase radiation
exposure many times over that from the
test fallout.
The additional radiation dosages which
persons receive from fallout are small
compared to these natural dosages and
even the variations In the natural dosages.
To be specific. the dosage to new bone
as in children, which results from stron-
tium-90, at present is about the same as
the additional dosage which q resident at
sea level would receive from cosmic rays
II he moved from beach to the top Of
hill few hundred feet high. j..
No scientist contends that there is no
risk We accept risk as payment for our
pleasures. our comforts and our material
progress. Here the choice seems much
clearer-the terrible risk of abandoning
the defense effort. which is so essential
under present conditions to the survival
OF the free world against the small con-
trolled risk from weapons testing.
OF course, when, as and If the Krem-
lin is willing to cooperate, the United
States will be fully prepared to work
out an agreement on ending nuclear
experimentation. But meanwhile, as DR..
Libby has stressed in his common sense
letter to DR.. Schweitzer, continuing tests
will remain vital to our national survival,
and we ought therefore to go forward
with them without hesitation or apology
especially so because they involve only
relatively minor hazards.