Safety Measures For Bomb Tests

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30939, 21 December 1965, Page 1

Safety Measures For Bomb Tests

The French Government would make available all necessary information for the radiation protection of New Zealand and its Pacific islands before the hydrogen-bomb tests next year, the Director of the National Radiation Laboratory in Christchurch (Mr G. E. Roth) said last evening.

Mr Roth said that the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) earlier gave an Msurance that safety measures would be token m in the other nuclear tests in southern latitudes. To do this, It was necessary to obtain much information on the nature of the tests, meteorological and oceanographic characteristics of the area, and other data. All this had or would be provided. It wm significant, Mr Roth said, that a good number of French population groups lived in the test area.

Mr Roth raid that a plan would now be devised to step up the radiation monitoring work of existing stations in New Zealand and the islands, and possibly set up others. Mr Roth attended the first International Conference on Medical Physics in England

and the eleventh International Congress on Radiology in Rome. In New York he had discussions with the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation which at present Is specially interested in surveying rout ine hospital dosages. New Zealand wm the only country in the world which had a complete record of Its radiation equipment and dosages given to all patients, Mr Roth Mid. This was wanted on a worldwide scale, but so far there were only educated guesses elsewhere. The New Zealand report created wide Interest. The iMt assignment for Mr Roth wm the World Health Organisation project for radiation control in Thailand to which New Zealand is contributing through the Colombo Plan. Earlier this year he went to Thailand to adviae on legislation and arrange for the training of three specialists in New Zeeland. This time he saw protection legislation about to be issued, and helped to select six more honours graduates in physics for training. Some of these would come to New Zealand in April, he said.