Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-06-19
Geneticist Discounts
FoIIout Peril of Tests
BY WILLIAM HINES
Star Science Writer

By WILLIAM HINES
Star Science Writer
BOSTON, Mass, June ia
noted geneticist says there is
no danger to future generations
from fallout Of continued atom
ic tests by the United States
and Russia.
However, DR.. Harold H.
Plough said yesterday. unbri-
died nuclear war undoubtedly
would scatter enough radioac-
tivity to do sever genetic dam
age to the human race. Large
scale testing by an increased
number Of nations might con-
tribute enough fallout to be
significant, he added.
DR.. Plough, professor emeri-
tus Of biology at Amherst Col
lege, branded current concern
over fallout as ''hysteria" and
largely unjustified." His re-
marks came in the course Of q
scientific paper presented be-
fore the American Nuclear So
ciety, which opened q national
meeting here yesterday.
There is still little accept
able evidence that low level
radiation produces as harmful
effects whatever" DR.. Plough
said. "A critical survey un-
biased by sentiment suggests
rather that minor deliterious
mutations are selected out early
or are repaired before they
appear"
Minute Amount
DR.. Plough said the amount
Of radiation from fallout at
present is "infinitesimal" COM
pared with the amount given In
medical treatment or diagnosis.
1T is conceivable that If the
French and the Russians and
the British and we all started
tests at the same time then the
atmospheric level might pile up
TO a point where 1t would get
above what I have called low
level radiation" he said later
in an interview.
The danger level would have
to be 10 times higher than 1t
is now and there is no evidence
that it would get to that level
without quite q change-with-
out q nuclear war;" DR.. Plough
added.
1T appears to me that most
Of the people who take the view
that faIlout is o very serious
Importance are looking ahead
to what they believe to be the
very great dangers Of radiation
from the use Of nuclear weap-
onS in war;" he went on.
I'm that respect I concur
with them absolutely. We can
hardly survive q nuclear war
but we can, think, view with
equanimity the relatively mi
nor increase over natural radi-
alton that we are likely to get
from fallout."
High Radiation Areas
DR.. Plough said there is
evidence" that as mankind is
faced with higher relation
levels, the species will adapt
without i'll effect. He cited the
people of Colorado, who live
with q background radiation
twice that Of sea level New
England. The natives Of an
area in Southern India live
with radiation up to so times
as high as the American norm,
yet so far as the data avail
able at present goes there Is
no difference between these
people and people in New York
or Boston," DR.. Plough declared.
Another speaker warned that
rather small doses Of radia- |
ton" may have some effects,
particularly on unborn and
very young children, and sug-
gested that science should "be
looking into low dose effects in
humans.
DR.. Samuel P. Hicks Of Har-
ward Medical School told Of
work done on rats, in which
embryos in the uterus were
exposed to varying amounts Of
radiation and the neither re-
moved for immediate examina-
ton or left or normal birth.
The threshold for damage in
rat embryo (the level below
which no damage is noted Is
about 20 to 80 roentgens.' DR..
Hicks said. This is equivalent
to the amount of radiation used
in X-raying a woman'S pelvis
during pregnancy.
Test on Rats
DR.. Hicks added his voice to
those of scientists who caution
physicians against routine ra-
biological examination Of preg-
nant women.
Damage done to the brains Of
fetal rats in experiments he d.
rected depended not only on
the amount of radiation. but
also on the point during preg-
nancy at which the embryoS
caIIouses|