In the session held June 2 and 3, the Commission provided information on contributions of atomic energy and its byproducts to the medical sciences.20 Particular emphasis was placed on how atomic energy has aided studies in cancer, heart disease, and other chronic diseases, the general field of epidemiology, and on new developments in therapy units. Participating in the presentation of material were the National Institutes of Health of the U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; in addition to scientists from the AEC Division of Biology and Medicine and those working on AEC medical projects at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Argonne Cancer Research Hospital, Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies, the University of Chicago, and the University of California at Berkeley. RADIATION INSTRUMENTATION Instruments for radiation measurement are indispensable tools to scientists and engineers in the atomic energy industry. In all AEC programs instruments and other electronic devices provide one of the common denominators of the research and production phases, and instrumentation has been developed progressively to keep pace with the expanded activities in the atomic energy enterprise. The large-scale handling of nuclear energy by the Manhattan Engineer District created an immediate demand for types and quantities of instruments to detect and measure radiation intensities. There were numerous, varied and intricate problems in which instruments were needed for health-protection purposes, biological, chemical, and physical research, and production control. Many of the radiation instruments then available were scarcely more than laboratory curiosities, except the specialized instruments employed in the medical field for clinical X-ray treatment or therapy. Rigid security regulations of the Manhattan project limited outside participation in the development of radiation instruments to five industrial concerns. Since most of the work had to be done at project laboratories, the instrumentation groups became essentially self-sufficient in solving problems of design, development, and production. Basic instruments, allied electronic equipment and special components and parts for radiation measurement in current use are fundamentally products of the Manhattan Engineer Project. After the war security restrictions on the instrument programs were eased, and immediate steps were taken to remove the burden of instrument production from AEC laboratories and production facilities. The Instrument Production Section was established at Oak "Hearings before the Subcommittee on Research and Development, Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, 83d Cong., 2d sess., on The Contributions of Atomic Energy to Medicine, June 2, 3, and 4, 1954 (Joint Committee print). Ridge to maintain continuity of the program and this section later became the Radiation Instrument Branch of the Commission's Division of Biology and Medicine. The primary function of this group was to examine the instrument activities of the various sites, and to initiate industrial contracts for commercial manufacture when feasible. It also helped other Government agencies meet their need for radiation instruments. The program established at Oak Ridge was designed to: Encourage the growth of a competitive radiation instrument industry; reduce the manufacture of instruments within AEC laboratories; and reduce overlapping in AEC research and development programs by providing for the interchange of instrumentation techniques and data among the various AEC installations. These objectives are essentially the objectives of the current AEC instrument program. Through consultation with the Washington instrument staff, assistance is provided industrial groups interested in the manufacture of radiation instruments. Greater interest in the widespread use of radioactive materials has increased the need for exchange of information among technical personnel. Conferences are held in selected fields of radiation instrumentation for AEC personnel, in which representatives of other Government agencies and private industry are invited to participate. Liaison is maintained with various industrial associations and professional societies in an attempt to standardize instruments and critical components. In addition, interchange of information is provided under the Technical Cooperation Program between the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. These activities furnish data on supply requirements, manufacture, production, current developments and improvements, new discoveries, and standardization of radiation instruments. In 1951, a cooperative agreement was initiated with the National Bureau of Standards for the testing and evaluation of radiation instruments of interest to AEC. This includes calibration, spectral dependency, temperature, humidity, shock and vibration effects, and other characteristics as required. The instruments already tested include types fabricated within the AEC and samples of new radiation instruments purchased from private industry. The results of these tests are given in detail in reports prepared by the National Bureau of Standards for the AEC. This information and other pertinent data are distributed to AEC installations and contractors. The growth of a substantial industry in radiation instruments has resulted from expansion of the atomic energy program, widespread use of radioactive materials, and needs for such measuring equipment by military and civil defense groups. In 1952 a study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship of the radiation instrument industry to the atomic energy program. The information obtained was of value in reviewing the effectiveness of AEC's policy of reliance on commercial sources for instruments, and in ascertaining that the AEC was making maximum use of the increased potential of this new industry. Since the radiation instrument industry represented one of the first areas of the atomic energy program in which private industry had made a substantial investment, the results presented significant data of use in the industrial participation program. The study consisted of a survey of the radiation instrument industry, and an internal survey of the AEC program. Results of this study in 1952 showed that there were some 75 radiation instrument companies employing about 2,500 people and grossing an estimated $20 million annually. During the last half of 1946 employment in this industry amounted to only between 175 and 200 employees. The status of the present market indicates that the radiation instrument industry provides still greater opportunities for expansion. The current trend in reducing Government expenditures in this field continued to be offset by growing demands by those utilizing radioisotopes outside AEC. Accordingly, many industrial companies are expanding their efforts and diversifying their products to meet the requirements for instruments and component parts in this field. Recently an accounting study was completed of AEC costs and investment in radiation instrumentation. This study revealed that during fiscal year 1953, AEC incurred costs for radiation instruments totaled nearly $10 million. Inventory of radiation instruments represented an investment of approximately $13 million. Expenditures on costs and investment were incurred as follows: Fabrication of instruments by AEC and/or contrac- Purchases from commercial sources_ Repairs and maintenance of instruments.. Research and development... 6 percent. 28 percent. 22 percent. 44 percent. It is of interest to note that purchases from commercial sources were nearly five times the amount spent on the fabrication of instruments within AEC. The kinds and types of instruments that are being used in the atomic energy program were fully described in the Eighth Semiannual Report (pp. 138-139). Current Research Past experience with centralized research and procurement of completed radiation instruments proved unsatisfactory because of the varied and unique instrument requirements of industrial AEC sites. However, the development of certain critical components common to many different types of instruments can and is being accomplished satisfactorily on a centralized basis. The best example of this is the research program for improving and developing special electron tubes and scintillation crystals, both items being essential to the improvement of scintillation counters. There is considerable interest in using the scintillation method for measuring nuclear radiations-one of the oldest methods of measuring radioactivity used as early as 1900. In this method a radiation quantum or particle causes certain types of crystals to emit light, which is converted to an electrical pulse by a sensitive photoelectric tube known as a photomultiplier. The pulse delivered by the photomultiplier tube is under certain conditions related to the radiant energy. With the growing interest in high energy particles, larger crystals are required to capture the energy of the particles. In recent experiments use was made of plastic scintillating materials or larger volumes of scintillating liquids. In order to capture the maximum amount of the light produced in these large scintillators, photomultiplier tubes that have larger detecting surfaces and more sensitive electrical characteristics need to be developed and produced. Since no special facilities are available for this work within the AEC, contracts were initiated with the Radio Corporation of America and A. B. DuMont Laboratories to develop and produce these tubes. The largest and most sensitive photomultipliers in existence were developed and manufactured under these contracts. The work for specialized electron tube development continued to be reviewed periodically by a steering committee composed of representatives of various laboratory instrument groups. The committee coordinates and guides this developmental work toward current and future needs of the AEC program. This approach to the problem not only expedited the development of photomultiplier tubes, but effected certain savings, since the overall needs of various AEC sites could be treated as a single problem. Radiation Telemetering In recent years, research instrumentation has also been important in applications of test monitoring equipment for the detection of radioactivity which may result from atomic detonations. One of the major developments in this field was the completion of a radiological telemetering system successfully used in recent test experiments at Nevada. The radiation telemetering system (a method of transmitting information by a remote control radio-frequency link) was developed through the joint efforts of the National Bureau of Standards, the Motorola Corporation, and the AEC. It was designed specifically for the monitoring of airborne radioactivity and meteorological data during the weapons test operations. The measurement of radioactive fall-out from test detonations, an intricate and critical function, is expensive in terms of manpower and equipment. Highly trained personnel are required and the workload often is far in excess of available personnel. Radiation monitoring equipment also presents problems of handling and transportation. In recognition of this problem, efforts were directed to design suitable equipment and techniques to relieve some of the burdens imposed by test operations. The feasibility of adapting telemetry techniques and equipment appeared to offer some immediate advantages. A prototype system was developed and tested with favorable results at the Nevada Proving Ground during atomic detonations. The telemetering system employs a radio-frequency link making possible the transmission of information signals specifically for recording radiological and meteorological conditions. Basically, however, the system is capable of transmitting signals from a wider range of measurable phenomena. During test operations at Nevada, three data stations to monitor fall-out activity were located in an area 10-20 miles downwind of the target area. As the data were transmitted the remotely controlled instruments at the stations telemetered the information by radio to a central control point. As a result where fall-out occurred in the vicinity of three experimental stations, accurate weather and fall-out data were reported in advance of reports received from mobile monitoring teams. Although the use of high frequencies required a line-ofsight from station to station, excellent reception was routinely obtained up to 25 miles from the control point, and under an experimental test transmission was recorded over a radio linkage totaling 90 miles. Despite the line-of-sight limitation, however, relatively standard radio relay techniques will permit extended coverage of the entire area significant to the monitoring program. In the Nevada field tests of the prototype system, the three model data stations were controlled through a single repeater station at an elevation of 5,800 feet providing coverage to only a single quadrant in ranges of 10 to 20 miles relative to the target area. While only three stations have been employed in the experiment to date, multiplication of this number by a factor of three, or thirty, or a hundred is feasible. By the use of the appropriate relays, it would be possible to cover zones of 200 to 500 miles quite as effectively as the present high-cost multiple-manpower mobile teams. The field testing program demonstrated the potential accuracy and 303584-54- -6 |