a 14 = ASAHT (1/2 Summary) August 11, 1959 Radiation Is Injurious Though Small in Quantity The Snecial Radiation Effect Research Committee (Chairman: Masao TSUZUKI) of the Japan Science Council on Auge 10.announced the outcome of its study on new tolerance standards for radiation. clarified these points: In this announcement, the Committee 1) Radiation is injurious even if it is small in quantity, and 2) radiation has a hereditarily unfavorable effect even if its quantity is below the new tolerance level. The Committee hopes that the Central Radiation Council of the Prime Ministerts Office will try to legalize the new tolerance standards for radiation depending on the people's reaction to the Comzitteets announcement. The main points of the Committeefs announce~ ment follow: : 1. The International Committee of Radiation Prevention (ICRP) recommenda= tion sets the maccimum tolerable limit of radiation for professional workers over 18 at five rems a year. This means a reduction of the maximumtolerable limit of radiation from 0.3 to 0.1 rems a week. grounds for supporting this opinion. There are no scientific a. An increase in radiation will bring about an increase in the number of cases such as still-birth, the death of babies immediately after birth, the death of infants, and the birth of deformed children. In the ICRP's opinion, Japan which has a population of 90,000,000 will see the number of hereditarily disfigured persons increased by an atmual average of 3,100. However, this figure will be 10,500 when the number of cases such as still-birth and the death of babies is included. In this connection, Yoshio HIYAMA, professor at Tokyo University, says, "The ICRP does not have legal power. Japanese scholars concerned about ‘death! ashes are taking a more serious view of the unfavorable effect of radiation than the ICRP. The characteristic of the Special Radiation Effect Research Committee's recent report is that the findings of their research are incorpor= ated in it." NML DO ARCHIVES