TOO LATE

Evening Star, Issue 26030, 19 February 1947, Page 4

TOO LATE

DEATH OF AUSTRALIAN AIRMAN LONG WAIT FOR RADIO-ACTIVE MATERIAL FROM AMERICA SYDNEY, February 17 A long .exchange between Australian and the United States’authorities in an attempt to procure radio-active sodium sulphate to save the life of an Austrahan au-man in Sydney Hospital has ended with the death of the airman The man was suffering from Puteoma' a ra re blood disease, and was kept alive for weeks by emergency treatmentwhile a supply of radio-active material was sought. Two chemical firms made urgent requests to ...the United States Atomic Research Commission in Wash' ington and the New South Wales branch of the Red Cross Society also appealed. These requests followed advice from Canada on December 31 that the United States Commission was the only likely source of radio-active sodium sulphate and other isotopes. When the Red Cross officials tried to make contact with the chairman of the commission, Dr Lillianthal. by radio-telephone they were told that he would not be available for four days. The Australian Ambassador in Washington, Mr Makin, took over the investigation and found that the required isotopes would be included in a parcel to be sent to Australia by air. The latest information, however, was that - the parcel would not be loaded on a plane in' Ahiorin before February 21. Another patientin the same hospital urgently requires the isotopes.