NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES— NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL 



COMMITTEES ON THE 

 BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ATOMIC RADIATION 



In 1955, Detlev W. Bronk, president of the National Academy of Sciences, appointed a group 

 of scientists to conduct a continuing appraisal of the effects of atomic radiations on living organisms. 

 This study has been supported and funds provided by The Rockefeller Foundation. 



The study is divided into six parts, each assigned to a separate Committee. The areas under 

 consideration are (I) genetics, (2) pathology, (3) agriculture and food supplies, (4) meteorology, 

 (5) oceanography and fisheries, and (6) disposal of radioactive wastes. The Committees themselves 

 do not perform research; like many other NAS-NRC Committees, they are asked to maintain appro- 

 priate surveillance within their own fields; to evaluate, in the light of their own experience and 

 judgment, the significance of reported findings; and to recommend effective programs of action. In 

 consequence, the published reports not only summarize present knowledge but also recommend 

 needed research, reveal areas of concern or confidence, and project larger problems associated with 

 potential hazards of the future. The reports vary greatly in the extent of technical detail they contain. 

 Some are intended for the lay reader, to tell the citizen what science has learned about the potential 

 effects of atomic radiation on himself, his progeny, and the race as a whole, so that he may par- 

 ticipate more intelligently in making necessary public decisions about atomic energy. Others contain 

 the results of specialized studies made by the Committees of various aspects of the problems. This 

 study will be a continuing one since many of the problems involve basic scientific questions that will 

 take many years to answer. Also, new questions may be expected to arise as the uses of atomic 

 energy continue to expand. 



The members of these Committees, numbering more than 100, are among the most distin- 

 guished scientists in their fields in the United States. They have given generously of their time and 

 . talents in making these analyses. They serve as individuals, contributing their knowledge and their 

 judgment as scientists and as citizens, not as representatives of the institutions, companies, or Gov- 

 ernment agencies with which they are affiliated. The studies are greatly assisted by consultations 

 with many authorities in private and Government organizations. 



Following is a list of the Committees participating in this study, and their chairmen: 



Committee on Genetic Effects of Atomic Radiation Subcommittee on Neuropathologic Aspects 



James F. Crow, University of Wisconsin Webb Haymaker, Armed Forces Institute of 



Committee on Pathologic Effects of Atomic Radiation Pathology, Washington 



Shields Warren, New England Deaconess Hospital, Committee on Effects of Atomic Radiation on Agri- 

 Boston culture and Food Supplies 

 Subcommittee on Hematologic Effects A. G. Norman, University of Michigan 



Eugene P. Cronkite, Brookhaven National Labo- committee on Meteorologic Aspects of Effects of 



'■^'"'■y Atomic Radiation 



Subcommittee on Inhalation Hazards Harry Wexler, U. S. Weather Bureau, Washington 



Harry A. Kornberg, General Electric Company, . 



Richland, Washington Committee on Effects of Atomic Radiation on Ocean- 

 Subcommittee on Internal Emitters r. K n it • •• .,* /^„if«~,„ .,» t , i^iio 

 . . ., „ . VI •■ I T „i,„,o..,r„ Roger Revele, University of California at La J olla 

 Austin M. Brues, Argonne National Laboratory ^ 



Subcommittee on Long-Term Effects of Ionizing Committee on Disposal and Dispersal of Radioactive 



Radiations from External Sources Wastes 



Harry A. Blair, University of Rochester Abel Wolman, Johns Hopkins University 



