DR. SHILLING then intreduced DR. JOHN BONNER, who discussed the subject
of weapons effects.
He limited his discussion essentially to blast
effects and described past and current studies on the
biological assessment of blast damage.
He also mentioned
BLAST
radio-ecological aspects of nuclear fallout and instruEFFECTS
mentation and dosimetry studies. DR. BURNETT asked why
this particular program should be included in Biology
and Medicine. While agreeing to its importance, he
expressed the opinion that it belonged in some other Division.
DR. DUNHAM
explained that no other agency appeared to be interested in this matter and
that the only blast information which had been developed had come from
the Biology and Medicine studies.
DR. PEARSON was next introduced to discuss agricultural research.
He
stated that while the major responsibility for agricultural research was
in the Department of Agriculture and the agriculture
experiment stations, the AEC nevertheless had basic
AGRICULTURAL
biclogical research programs with many agricultural
RESEARCH
implications.
He reviewed the work being done in animal
physiology, metabolism of proteins and amino acids in
animals, and in the field of trace elements in large
animals; such as, zinc, molybdenum, cobalt and iodine.
FARM
DR. PEARSON then called on DR. TRUM to discuss the effects of radiation
on farm animals.
At present what work that is being done is in the large
animal field; such as, cattle, donkeys, sheep and dogs.
There appears to be a strong case for further studies
ANIMALS
in large animals and particularly in studies of radio-
active materials resulting from weapons tests other than
fission products; in other words, induced radioactive
materials.
DR. ROBERT REITEMETER was then introduced to discuss study in the field
of soil chemistry and some of the inorganic phases of plant physiology.
DR. REITEMEIER told of the severe limitations on the use
of radioisotopes in field experiments because of health
and safety reasons.
He believed that the use of crops
SOIL
for the purpose of decontaminating soil should be investiCHEMISTRY
gated.
It appears that studies of the decontamination of
food products suffer because of a lack of actual fallout
materials readily available for experimental purposes.
DR. WARREN asked if it had been learned whether in general
contamination was retained by the edible parts of plants.
DR. REITEMEIER
said that in general most food products did not concentrate the radioactive contamination in the edible parts, such as the sugar from a sugar
cane and sugar beet and pods of beans and peas.
A more serious problem
was in the case of leafy vegetable subject to aerial deposition.
~B.