Evening star., 1957-04-28
NucIeor Tests:
Dangerous?

AAe JdpaneSe government, fear-
ing that the air over Japan has
been contaminated by radioactive
Iailout loosed during the current
series Of nuclear weapons tests in
Russia. has warned housewives 10
Doll drinking water and to wash
fruit.
Eighteen nuclear physicists in
West Germany-four of them Nobel
prize winners-have announced that
they would not help their govern
ment test or use atomic weapons.
In the British House of Com
mons motion was introduced, and
subsequently defeated. calling for
delay in hydrogen bomb tests
planned next month in the Central
Pacific.
And last week from Lambarene
In French Equatorial Africa there
was an appeal to the world to end
nuclear tests from DR.. Albert
Schweitzer, theologian, surgeon.
philosopher. humanitarian and mu-
sician.
For 2la years the agitation over
nuclear weapons tests has mounted
Last fall. Democratic presidential
hopeful Adlai Stevenson made a no.
lltlcal issue of the matter. The
Republican administration and
q. 0. P campaigners assailed the
suggestion as impossible
Russia agreed to an ironclad system
OF mutual inspection. But there
was hint last week that the ad-
ministration is yielding, however
slightly. to the increasing pressure.
Secretary of State Dulles was
asked at his press conference Tues
DAY II he could see ANY way that
nuclear tests can be brought To a
halt outside Of international dis
armament" He replied that such
an accomplishment would be diff
cult" but added that he wouldn't
want to say in this field that it is
impossible. :"
The worldwide apprehension
which has arisen over the months
stems from conflicting estimates of
the damages done to the human
body by radioactive fallout from the
test explosions. The opinions range
from the assurances of Atomic En-
ergy Commissioner Willard F. Libby
tnat the tests to date have resulted
IN less radiation than that which
man has been exposed to in nature
over the same time, to the warning
OF group Of British scientists that
nuclear tests have caused $4,000
new cases of bone cancer.
DR.. Libby has expended a great
deal of energy in recent months in
an attempt to allay the fears.
HIS main source material has
been the results of an intensive
four-year-old continuing study of
worldwide fallout. Conducted by
the Acc, 1t has included examina-
ton Of soil, plants, animals and
food from many areas of the world.
Information is traded with scien-
lists OF other nations: the Weather
Bureau as well as other Govern
ment agencies have a hand in it:
scientists not in the employ of
Uncle Sam also help out. It is
called Project Sunshine"
DR.. Libby. using the Project Sun
shine findings, outlined his position
Friday before the American Physi-
cal Society. as he had done the
previous day In a letter answering
DR. Schweitzers plea. His major
points we're:
. The present body burden of
strontium- -90-the fallout material
that causes bone cancer--in this
country that has come from nu-
clear testing is no more than would
have been received in increasing
the altitude Of ones residence by
about 400 feet from sea level
. The strontium-90 tolerance fig
IRE for an average person in the
United States is 200 times that
now held by the average person.
. The continuing fallout Of RADIO
from the stratosphere as
result Of past tests is so matched