PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL RE
MOVED
- B2 -
There is little reason to doubt
produce sarcomas in animals.
that this small amount of liquid (0.91 milliliter) or even more
In this
palm.
found its way below the surface of
event, his chance of develoving cancer would be one in twenty.
This
is at least 50,000
times higher than his
chances of developing
In other words, the evidence is overthe cancer spontaneously.
whelming in favor of the tumor resulting from Pu-239 contamination.
The above relative probability is based upon data from
It is quite possible that man is more sensitive than
animals.
animals to cancer
In
induction by Pu-239.
fact,
the biological
evidence strongly suggests that man is more sensitive.
Exhibit 2
is a case report of a nodule removed from aman.
This nodule
contained only 0.08 ug of Pu-239.
Commenting on the histological
oF
‘examination of the lesion, the authors. states,"The autoradiographs showec precise confinement of K-tracxs to the area of
Maximum damage and their penetration into the basal areas of
the epidermis, where epithelial changes typical of ionizing
radiation exposure were present.
ship of these
findings,
therefore,
The cause and effect relationseemed obvious.
lesion was minute, the chances in it were severe.
Similarity to known precancerous epidermal
Althougn the
Their
cytologic chances,
of course, raised tne question of the ultimate fate of sucha
lesion should it be allowed to exist without surgical intervention..."
In this case, less than 0.1 ug of Pu-239 produced
precancerous changes in human tissue.
The dose to the surroundcine
tissue was very intense.
There is every reason to believe
that a smaller quantity of Pu-239 would have produced similar
changes.
When I consi@er the
above human and animal data together with
the relative probability of 50,000,
conclusion then
contamination of
Turning now
that this
I can come to no other
sarcoma was
a dircct result of the
left palm by Pu-239.
to Dr. Wald's Consultation
Renrourt,
it can be
Stated that he has presented no evidence to disprove the clain
that this sarcoma was caused by Pu-239 contamination.
I shall
discuss Dr. Wald's report in the order that it was written.
According to the Division of Inspection Peport submitted
by Anson M.
Bartlett on April
11,
1963,
pages
29-30,
the
January 19 examination was conductcd not on
but on
his home, clothing and automobile.
The single urin2 and feces
PRIVACY AGT MATERIAL REMOVED