In summary, the report was totally reassuring as regards nuclear weapons testing, it did not attempt to face up to the problems cf an atomic war, and finally it was prsgccupied with the potential hazards inherent in a developing era of large scale atomic power , mmittes on Gensti= Effects Tnis Committee consisted of geneticists, one authority on radiaticn pathology, one authority on radiclogical physics and radiation hazard control, and a mathematician, Dr, Warren Weaver of the Recksfeller Foundation, whe chaired the grcup, They considered the genetic effects against the background of present knowlsdge concerning radiation as a cause of mutations in micro-organisms, plants, insects, and mice, bearing in mind the tendency of modern civilization to conserve ail human life whether perfect or imperfect, They call attention to the perhaps greater importance of mutations whith are relatively inapparent such as de- fects in resistance to disease processes, decreased fertility and curtailed life span, and impaired physical and mental vigor. The more drematiz mutations, INIonsters, still births, and early developmental defe:ts 1eading to sbsrtion and miscarriage are not apt to be passed on to another gsreration, The apparently relatively negative results cf the geneties survey of the survivors’ first genera- tion at Hiroshima and Nagasaki serve to emphasize the validity of this point of view, This study demonstrated that with the methods used and the radiation desages received, the heavily irradiated surviving population was nct sufficiently large for it to be possible to demonstrate a statistically significant difference in the number of mitations in the cffsprings of irradiated parents as com- pared with offsprings of non-irradiated control parents, It did not prove in any sense of the word that there was no» geneticeffect. Ss Following a general discussion of the mechanisms of genetic change especially as produced by radiation, both natural and artificial, the ccmmittee made certain reccmmendations, In doing so they. used natural background radiation exposure (i.2,, radiation from coémic rays, igneous rocks, radium and radiopotassium in our bodies, étc.) Wore and the so-salled spontanecus mutation rate as base lines, In addition. they were unanimous that no increase in the spontanecus mutations rate was desirable and that all radiation exposure to the germ cells at whatever rats of exposure did indeed increase the mutation rate in proportion tc the total exposure rezeived at the time of conception. Consequently they stated that all radiation exposure to the gonads was detrimental and consequently radiation exposures should be kept at the minimum consistent with the overall needs of a scciety. They then observed that half of the American children were born of parents approximately 30 years of age or less, They noted -3- era T pepronccen FF TN G . OTHE Rede ct ' ” berth. Ae rey“tL Sera~ Ae : 7 _. : Lae