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RADIATION STANDARDS, INCLUDING FALLOUT

I am also an associate professor of industrial medicine at the New York University Medical Center where I give a course on the introduction to radiological
health and participate in several other courses covering the subject.
I was not certain whether this information was of interest or value to you
and also whether my activities would be considered an activity in the medical
profession,

Sincerely yours,

Hanson Bratz, Director.

Representative Price. Thank you, Dr. Chamberlain.
The committee is happy to have your fine paper. May I commend
you on the effective summary which you gave. You touched on every
point in your statement which I followed through as you wenton.
Doctor, you state on page 1 of your formal statement that during
the past 2 years much thought and effort has been expended on
radiation appraisal. What has occurred inthis field that has brought
about suchan intensive effort ?
Dr. CHamperuain. In the last 2 years particularly you mean?
Representative Price. Yes.
Dr. Caamper.ain, I think that it really dates from 5 years ago,
sir, but one of the influences onthis, I imagine, is the former hearings
of this group itself. The interest in the medical profession has been
rising for about 3 years, after the National Academy of Sciences
report, to a crescendo which has been most active during the past 2
or 3 years. I think the international commissions and the National
Commission on Radiation Protection also have been in great part
responsible forthis.
Representative Price. On what criteria are you able to make the
assumption that you make on page 2 that the average patient dose in
the United States would be about the same as in countries where it
has been surveyed ?
Dr. Cuampernain. There are two things involved in this: I personally have traveled extensively anu have been a visiting professor
at such places as the University of Lundin Sweden. Ihave had interchange with other Western civilized countries to see what they do and
howthey doit. I think in general our medical practice is quite comparable to Sweden and United Kingdom and not greatly different
from the Netherlands and parts of Western Germany.
There are some differences that are important, but they probably are
less important than the uncertainties of the earlier estimates that were
made in those countries and in our own country as to this medical
amount. As I say, I simply don’t know what the figure is, but I
think there is good reason to think that these studies which have been
carefully done in the other countries, with a roughly comparable extent of radiological expertise, would make us think that we are probably within the same ballpark at least.
Representative Price. What was the impetus in these studies in
the countries that you have mentioned ?
Dr. Curampertaty- What made them do the studies originally ?
Representative Pricx. Yes.
Dr. Cusmperiary. I don’t really know exactly except that this increase In interest in radiation exposure has been general, and, as I

say, the International Commission on Radistogieal Piotection has been

particularly active in promulgating this and also the rules by which
suchstudies ought to be done.

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