neat, SGphead
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AS
inherent in a greatly expanded atomic energy industry.
There
constantly recurs through the report the idea that all is well
today but for the future let us be very careful indeed.
In summary, the report was totally reassuring as regards
nuclear weapons testing, it did not attempt to face up to the
problems of an atomic war, and finally it was preoccupled with
the potential hazards inherent itn a developing era of large
scale atomic power,
Summary Report of the Committee on Genetic Effects
This Committee consisted of geneticists, one authority o
radiation pathology, one authority on radiological physics and
radiation hazard control, and a mathematician, Dr. Warren Weav
of the Rockefeller Foundation, who chaired the group.
They considered the genetic effects against the backgrou
of present knowledge concerning radiation as a cause of mutati
in microorganisms, plants, insects, and mice, bearing in mind
tendency of modern civilization to conserve all human life whe
perfect or imperfect.
They call attention to the perhaps grea
importance of mutations which are relatively Inapparent such a
defects in resistance to disease processes, decreased fertilit
and curtailed life span, and impaired physical and mental vigo
The more dramatic mutations, monsters, still births, and early
developmental defects leading to abortion and miscarriage are
not apt to be passed on to another generation.
The apparently
relatively negative results of the genetics survey of the
survivors! first generation at Hiroshima and Nagasaki serve to
emphasize the validity of this point of view,
This study
demonstrated that with the methods used and the radiation dosa
received, the heavily irradiated surviving population was not
sufficiently large for it to be possible to demonstrate a
~6 -
Enclosure II