ation still is being used to treat noncancer
ous conditions such as enlarged thymus,
acne, psoriasis, and ringworm.
Still another case is fluoroscopy, one of
the most widespread of medical diagnostic
procedures. The radiation dose delivered is
much higher than from an X-ray machine,
and there is a greater risk of the rays
bombarding the patient in organs other than
the one under examination. Yet in about
half the cases, the fluoroscopic examination
is conducted by a doctor who has not had
special training in radiation. And despite
widespread warnings, there are still hun
dreds of shoe-fitting fluoroscopic machines
in the U.S. to which children, are exposed.
Radiation is a particular menace to young
children whose fast-growing cells are much
more vulnerable to damage and whose small
bodies receive a much heavier dose than
an adult's during treatment or diagnosis.
We must realize that in them as potential
parents lies the greatest danger of crippled,
weakened future generations.
Every dose of radiation to which a child
is subjected, from the time he lies unborn
in his mother's body until he has reached
maturity, increases the danger to him of
leukemia and other forms of cancer. In ad
dition,' he faces a greater risk of damage
to reproductive organs which can lead to
sterility or to a defective descendant.
'T'oday we live in a highly mobile society.
It is not unusual for a family with grow
ing children to move five to 10 times from
one state or region to another. In 10 years'
time, there is no telling how much radiation
their children may receive from a succes
sion of doctors, dentists, school physical ex
aminations, and hospitals. As we live today,
there are no permanent family health rec
ords which provide a clue to the number of
these exposures.
A solution to this problem appears later
in this article.
The second great menace lo health
from radiation comes from fall-out.
In this case, microscopic particles of ra
dioactive debris are introduced into the
atmosphere by the testing of nuclear weap
ons. When this radioactive debris showers
down on the earth's surface in snow and
rain, it is absorbed by the soil, leaves, and
roots of plants. As these plants are eaten
by people or by the fish and grazing anir
mals that people eat, the radioactive parti
cles enter the human body. This dangerous
radiation is unaffected whether the foods
are eaten raw, boiled, fried, or broiled.
Once within the body; the radioactive ma
terial concentrates in our organs and bones;
there it remains for years, incessantly giv
ing off tiny doses of radiation which affect
the bones, blood, or tissues.
Even though nuclear weapon tests have
been suspended since 1958, some fall-out
debris is still drifting down and will con
tinue to do so for several more years.
An indication of the broadness of this
radioactive danger was discovered as long
ago as 1957 before the series of huge nu
clear blasts by the U.S. and the Soviet
Union when samples of radioactive stron
tium were detected in snow near the South
Pole; in the waters of the Danube River;
in the Mississippi River; in some Midwest
grain fields; and in milk in Australia.
Strqntium-90, the most dangerous of ra
dioactive particles, seeks out the bones
in the human body. Concentrations in chil
dren's bones in this country have mounted
steadily since the start of testing of large
nuclear devices. These concentrations are
now three or our times higher than in the
bones of adults. The maximum concentra
tion of strontium-90 now occurs in infants
of about one year of age and is 10 times
that of the adult level.
Asa result of recent scientific advances,
the capability of producing cheap nu
clear bombs will be brought within the
reach of many nations. If these nations are
not able to resist the temptation to test
their new bombs, more radioactive fall-out
inevitably will shower down on us.
A few years ago, Atomic Energy Com
mission spokesmen assured the public that
the radioactive debris from fall-out would
remain in the upper atmosphere for many
years, and that when it did descend to
earth, it would be evenly distributed over
the entire surface of the globe. Tins past
summer, results of scientific studies showed
that fall-out debris, including strontium-90,
has come down to earth much faster than
the AEC anticipated, and that it has tended
to distribute itself over the earth in very
uneven fashion, with some cities and re
gions getting a much higher dose of radio
active particles than others.
Fall-out from Russian bomb tests, for
example, seems to have concentrated mainly
on the northern regions of the earth which
include not only the U.S. but 80 percent of
the world's peoples. Salt Lake soil has
been found to contain three times as much
strontium-90 as Miami or Los Angeles. The
highest concentration of strontium-90 in
milk has been found in' St. Louis.
We will not be able to tell for many
years how harmless or dangerous these
amounts of strontium-90 are.
The third and newest hazard from
radiation comes from nuclear power
plants, and the industrial, military, and
scientific nuclear projects that are al
ready completed or planned for opera
lion in the 1960s.
Wherever these plants are, there is nu
clear fission; wherever there is nuclear
(Continued)
Family Weekly, February 26, 1961 21
Callouses
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PHOTO CREDITS
Page 2: Victor Obiatz.
Page 6: Carl Baker.
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