7
td
.

Co

~23-

received approximately 100 to 150 rep from the short lived iodine family,

It has

been reported that irradiation of the thyroid area in early life increases the
incidence of cancerof the thyroid.

Accordingly thyroid function and the possilbity

of thyroid cancer is being studied in the Marshallese children.
Before concluding I cannot refrain from expressing my personal opinion and con

viction on twonaspects of the fallout problem.

First, the acute and long term hazards

of fallout such as would occur following the use of thermonuclear devices in werfare
is simply unthinkable,

The wide spread contamination over continental ereas from

multiple detonations of thermonuclear devices over papulated areas would preduce red{etion hazards for all living things and for generations to come.
umierstood,

These hazards are

These hazards cannot be considered as the usual "calculated risk basis*®

of warfare in the mst,

One can only make a plea that an enlightened world, will

deaand that their representatives in government also appreciate these Lazards and
Wth this recognition bring every conceivable effort of diplomacy to solve the problens posed by differences in political and economic ideologies and thus prevent a
type of warfare that cannot be considered in terms of “calcvlated risk",

-

Second the world wide low level radiation of today from diverse sources has been
analyzed thoughtfully by competent people individually and in assembly.

lote the

sober and realistic reports of the National Academy of Sciences, the British Medical
Research Council and the United Nations,

These reports point out the multiple sources

of radiation in. our lives today and the necessity for continuous scrutiny,

confuse unavoidable radiation exposure with radiation hazard.

Let us not

Let us not lose sight

of the multiple sources by undue preoccupetion with world wide fallout.

Jet us not

be so preoccupied with radiation in general that we forget about industrial pollution
of our enviroment in general by non radioactive but toxic substances,

Lastly the

incidence of leukemia was apparently increasing orior to the development of atomic
energy.

Why?

POE ARCHIVES

53

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