=
-

OPTIONAL FORM NO 10
MAY 1982 EQITION

AOse

3010-107

GSA GEN. REG. NO. 27

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT

Z

D

Memorandum
TO

Dr. Charles L. Dunham, Director

Division of Biology and Medicine

pate:

MAY 13 1966

(.-—

FROM

Bertram H. Sch
Associate Generar’

SUBJECT:

USE OF HUMAN VOLUNTEERS IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH

Counsel

Tis is in reference to a proposed memorandum to bring to the attention
of the General Manager the contemplated new AEC biomedical research

project involving the use of human volunteers. As we understand it,
convicts, college students, and other individuals, twenty one years of
age or older, will be invited to volunteer, and monetary consideration
will be paid for their services. These individuals will ingest or be
injected with promethium-147 or plutonium-237. This program will be
conducted for AEC by the Hanford Occupational Health Foundation. You
have asked for our views.
From the legal standpoint, there are two areas of potential risk which
should be considered in the use of human volunteers in experiments:

1.

Risk of adverse effects from the radiation experiments properly
carried out; for example, the risk that the intended dosage of

0.1 roentgens might cause some pathological condition in certain
individuals,

2.

Risk of injury from negligent conduct in the course of the

experiment; for example, the risk that an experimenter might

be negligent in the operation of the radiation source and

give dosage of 1.0 rather than 0.1 roentgens causing injury
to the volunteer.

It 1s our opinion that each volunteer should sign a written, witnessed

agreement in which he or she states that he or she is in sound mental and
physical condition and is participating in the experiment on his or her
own volition, that he or she understands that what is being done is for

experimental purposes and not for the treatment or diagnosis of the individual, and that he or she understands the nature, procedures, and prob-

able effects of the experiment.
In addition, the agreement should set
forth the nature and purpose of the experiment, the procedure to be used
(including a description of the individual volunteer's participation or

use in the experiment), the known possible risks, if any, and the arrange-

ments, if necessary, for possible termination of the experiment or research
(e.g.

if the volunteer later desires to withdraw from the experiment).

It

would be advisable if the agreement also negated any inference that the
paid volunteers are employees of the contractor for purposes of the experiment. The agreement should be signed only after the volunteer has had an

Buy US. Savings Bonds Regularly on the Payroll Savings Plan

B88;

Select target paragraph3