Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-06-05
FALLOUT
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TAIIVO
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activity of their tea, because of
the assertion from the Com
munist-controlled) Chimes
mainland that Japanese tea is
radioactive" The scientist said
some people in Japan are so
keenly aware Of fallout that they
take showers after being out in a
rain"
He criticized secrecy exercised
by the Atomic Energy Commits
sion, but this assertion was con-
tradicted by DR.. Libby.
with one exception" DR..
Libby said. Il do not know of
any significant information on
fallout in the possession of the
commission which is not avail
able to the public. The exception
Is certain facts which would re-
veal information concerning in
telligence and weapons design
and therefore cannot be made
public"
DR.. Lapp gave the committee
a computation he made of the
genetic consequences Of a hydro
gen bomb attack on the United
States such as was described to
the committee last week by DR..
Paul Schafer. a meteorologist
for the Federal Civil Defense Ad-
ministration.
DIR. Schafer had estimated a
full-scale. 2.5-billion-ton attack
on major industrial, population
and military centers to result In
about 80 million deaths. half of
them from immediate flash and
blast effects. and the other half
from radiation over the .f1suing
two-month period. ne Civil
Defense scientist D Ade no ge-
lnetic computation.
EOEcoccS OH Oh havoc
Based - what he said we're
.computable factors. DR.. Lapp
calculated that in the first gen.
Grafton after the attack, there
would be:
One million six hundred thou
sand live births Of physical and
mental detectives.
-Four million stillbirths and
childbirth deaths.
Eight million embryonic and
neo-natal deaths.
"A larger but unknown num-
Der" Of intangible defects.
TN the first generation about
two out OF every 10 children
would be genetically defective"
DR.. Lapp said. The sum total
of all deferred deaths from the
attack would be 272 million or
several times the number killed
by the direct attack. In addition.
almost everyone would shoulder
an increased genetic burden"
DR.. Lapp said he doubted that
any kind Of an international
testing quota could be estab-
lished. despite the fact that "the
concept of a safe testing rate
is OF very great Importance from
a global health viewpoint.
Sees Limits Useless
He continued: THE limit
seems so low that it would appear
that setting up quota for each
nations annual testing would
be doomed to the same fate as
the attempt to control battleship
construction in the l920s.
But I believe than an inter-
nationally constituted monitor
ing system could keep syste-
matte check on the level OF
fission products which fall out
as a result of bomb tests. The
publication Of these measure
ments would have a profound
effect on world opinion"
DR.. Lapp strongly urged a re-
view, by congressional sources,
of "the information policy of
the Acc with regard to nuclear
weapon effects, with a view
toward revising this policy so
that information may be made
available more promptly and
completely" The national in
terest, he said. demands a
much better relation between
the press and the Atomic Energy
Commission"
Report on Consequences
He also urged report on the
probable biological consequences
Of a nuclear war, a summary
report of information useful TO
civil defense planners. further
research on the radiostrontium
problem. an annual report by the
Acc on fallout and national con-
troll Of radiation.
At the start Of today's hear
ing, DR.. william B. Looney. a
physician with the Massachu-
sets General Hospital in Bos-
ton. spoke on research conducted
N bone degeneration OF persons
subjected to radium poisoning.
Drawing certain parallels be-
tween radium and strontium- 80. \
DR.. Looney expressed confidence
that the present maximum per-
levels Of strontium 30
are quite low.