BOMB HAZARDS GIVE CONCERN

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28269, 6 May 1957, Page 9

BOMB HAZARDS GIVE CONCERN

Call For Meeting Of Scientists (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 10.30 p.m.) STRASBOURG, May 4. The Consultative Assembly of the 15nation Council of Europe today called for an immediate meeting of scientists to report on hazards likely from the continued testing of atomic and hydrogen bombs. The Assembly recommended this action to the council’s Committee of Ministers because of public concern that continued nuclear testing might increase world radiation to harmful levels. The Assembly, at the end of its six-day session, said the Ministers should call a meeting of distinguished scientists to report urgently on the nature and importance of radiation hazards likely to result from continued testing of nuclear and thermonuclear explosive devices. This report should be made public immediately. The Assembly expressed the hope that the atomic Powers would reach agreement quickly on the suspension of nuclear tests.

It also urged vigorous pursuit of current negotiatibns for a comprehensive disarmament agreement including nuclear and thermo-nuclear weapons. A message from New York says that the atomic scientist, Dr. William Neuman, said tonight that nuclear bomb tests might have brought the world halfway to a radioactive danger

Dr. Neuman, chief of biochemistry for an atomic energy project at the University of Rochester, said’ “Some control of nuclear explosions is inevitable.” He urged the United States Government to act immediately to obtain control agreements. Dr. Neuman’s warning came in a speech to the New York State section of the American Physical Society. He said of the datager level: “In terms of bomb tests, we can, together with all other nations, explode about a total of 180 megatons.” (A megaton is the power equal to 1,000,000 tons of T.N.T.) He said a reasonable guess was that between 50 and 100 megatons had been exploded so far. “So we arq halfway to the top,” he said. Dr. Neuman said; “Even the small (strontium-90) radiation does appear to increase the chance of the occurrence of leukemia.” On that basis, ne said, the truly safe level of strontium-90 was none tit all. He said v thev projected into’-'the stratophere would continue to fall for many years after tests were ended. “If we, by poor judgment, overload the stratosphere with fission products we endanger a whole generation,” he said.