ie,
inl
over a long deriod of time were recomrenced.
Based ‘on these
rencrmenAn’ car and these *Ba
FR Tater che
of,
Moddatien it
.
;
2
ey ee ee ee
wie vor GP Li.it of yearly exposure for atv..ic energy WOLHEMS«
However,
the average
exposure
Lo
to atomic cnersy workers during
pest coperaticns has been so far below the maximum permiccible
level that the placing of a yearly upper limit would not be
expected to impose any major restriction,
The NAS report recommended an upper limit of 50 roentgens
for individual exposure up to age 30, and 10r during the like
period for the general populace.
Except in the case of the
March 1, 1954 incident involving intensive fallout in the
+
Marshall Island area, no individual outside the testing areas
has been exposed to even the 10r maximum recommended for the
populace as a result of fallout from the U.S. nuclear testing .
program.
The NAS report estimates that if the nuclear weapons
tests were continued at the present rate the average exposure
for the general population of the United States over a 30-year
period would be about one-tenth of a roentgen.
In summary, the
report was reassuring as regards nuclear sieapons testing; it
did not attempt to face up to the problems of an atomic war;
and, finally, it was preoccupied with the potential hazards
inherent in a developing era of large scale atomic power.
As to the Strontium-90 accumulating in the biosphere, the
AEC will continue its extensive program of maintaining collections stations throughout the world and of analyses of the
samples.
This close and continuing checking system will provide
ample warning of any significant upward trends in the Strontium990 content of the biospnere before hazardous levels would be
approached.
It is indicated in the NAS report that the highest
levels observed throughout the world are ebout 1/100 of the
Academy's most conservative estimate of permissible concentration
for the population as a whole.
Furthermore, our knowledge of
present pollution from radiostrontium is more exact and more
extensive than that with respect to any other atmospheric
pollution.
The attached summaries of Professor Muller's article and
of the Norwegian matter are self-explanatory.
Sincerely yours,
/s/
Lewis L. Strauss
Chairmée 1
Enclcsures:
1,2 end 4 (Unclassified)
.
3 (Secret -)
id E. Stessen
ant to the President
.
—