RADIATION Part ivi -7- One of the first things a pediatrician does is check the weight and height of children. Such data properly tabulated would enabie us to spot any deviations in the averacge growth of a group. However, a great many individuals must be measured for these statistics to be useful.. Since the risk'to an individual of devel-- oping leukemia or bone cancer from radiation is very small, we snould check at least a million people. Actually about ten million would nave to be examined to get the information in a reasonable time. The risk to children of parents who have been exposed is so very small, that millions of children of the next generation would have to :e@ examined to determine what effect low-level radiation absorbec by tneixc parents had on ‘the physical and mental health of the children. These monitoring techniques should not be restricted to communicies experiencing worrisome fallout from nuclear tests. They should we applied to places where water nas a nigh radium content, to com- “nities excessively exposed to radioactive coal smoke, and to locailtules where natural radiation from rocks is unusually high. In order xO establish what is normal the techniques also must be applied in communities where radiation from ail sources is iow. Tne oniy practical way to monitor all these people is by utilizing “outine checkups and carefully recording the date. jets the information needed, The family doctor so there is no need to obtain it again.