:
4
1180
ountto
Mr, Duncax.c
measurements show some level of cesium in
your sop’
would
(
him ¢
+ .M cCauw. Yes.
z
cancer
roan. Do you have any way of knowing that he wil! not get
ficou No.
.
Dencan. That is all I have I have to go to another committee.
I just
wanted to worry you.
|
Mr. Yares. Wait one half minute for my question.
|
Getting beck to my comment about the federal standards, my son
was treaied for a tonsil disease in 1944 by then applicable medical
standards. He was given radiation in the treatment of his tonsils.
Everyone thought it was great. It was a common medica] practice.
Thousands of young peop e were having their tonsils removed or
shriveled as e result of this treatment. He, like all the others of that
we
:
age group, are now threatened with cancer because of having
irradi
25 years ago. So now these people—I assume the
;
been
radistion
he received may have been comparable to the ingestion of cesium or
strontium.
The thought occurs to me, and I talked to the cancer specialists at
NCI in connection with some of the herbicides and additions to food,
and they say amounts really don’t mean very much at any particular
time. The question is what will be the effect 25 years from now as 8
different kind of stimulant or carcinogenic materia! is brought to bear
on the body.
So getting back to the question of Federal standards, five years
from now you migé.t decide in the new Department of Energy that
the levels you established are much too high and that you should estab-
lish lower standards because you have, as Mr. Duncan pointed out,
more sophisticated equipment.
{
.
3
;
McCeas. It is not a problem of being able to measure the dose
't%
devel. It is knowing the effect.
Mr. Yates. You might go now.
Mr. Dencan. It is a question of exercising our best judgment. I
-4
would suggest that five years from now you might even be able to
sustain even lower levels.
%=2
.
down for a long period of time. We are trying to keep the dose in 8
year below the annua! standards, and all the 30 year doses below the
“
SicCpa cre looking at 30 year standards, to keep the dose
rr
year standard.
SAFETY OF BIKINIANS UNDER PRESENT CONDITIONS
'
Mr. Yares. That brings us to the question at hand. What erevou
going todo? You have the level of cesium
andstronium in the Biki-
Oi
Uisine
pet
ears.
ev are still on their island.
o_o
.
Have you told them to.get off? For your own good. you ought to
move!
Mr. Desi Mr. Chairman, I don't know thet anyone thinks that this
is’a life threatening
situationat this time.
Mr. Yares. Really?
;
;
.
;
i
It is the kind of thing that if you let it continue over a
long period of time then it would begin to be of hazard to their health.
DOE ARCHIVES
5002414