7,

The state of knowledge in the field of genetics

8,

Keep all exposures to the germ cells as low as

has been outrun by our knowledge in the field of physics.

possible for radiation exposure is generally detrimental to
living cells,

In essence, this Committee formalized the current

thinking on the subject. It did not eome up with any new or
startling conclusions or reccmmerndaticns,

This Committee was composed of scientists well versed

in radiation pathology and chaired by Dr, Shields Warren,

Director of the Cancer Research Institute of the New England

Deaconess Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, and was for five years
=~ 1948 to 1952 ~~ Director of the Division of Biology and Medieine of the Atomic Energy Commission,

This group and subcommitteszon blood, lung, delayed

‘effects, and toxicity of ingested radioactive materials reviewed
the present state of knowledge and found that our knowledge of
immediate effects was much greater than for delayed effects, |

They cbserved a five year lessened life span for American radiologists, estimated to have received from a few roentgens to 1000r
of exposure as compared with physicians not using radiation —and agreed that until we had more precise knowledge of the’ cumu-

lative effects of repeated small exposure of the whole body to

radiation the rule of thumb recommended by the Genetics Committee
could equally well apply to medical effects, That is, no one
should receive more than 50r total accumulated dose to the reproductive cells by age 30 = and no more than 50r for each decade
thereafter, This, they felt, would assure that any life expectancy curtailment would be exceedingly minor, and the likelihoad
of induced leukemia minimal, They noted that as far as effects
on the blood-forming organs, the intestinal tract, etc., are coneerned, none of these effects have been detected among those who

have adhered to present permissible dose levels,

|.

Nas

As for the hazards from ingestion and radioactive
materials, they confirmed the validity cf existing National Com
mittee for Radiation Protection and International Commission for
Radiation Protection recommendations and as for the most important

of the fission products in fallout, namely Strontium-90, they

stated "there seems to be no reason to hesitate to allow a universal
human strontium burden of 1/10 of the permissible yielding 20 rep
in a lifetime...,. Visible changes in the skeleton have been reported

Select target paragraph3