The Fourth R

Atomic-age man had better learn, and quickly, how to live with radiation. Last week the Atomic Energy Commission called a conference in Washington of sanitary engineers and sewage and water supply experts from all over the U.S. There is no reason to get panicky, the AEC said in its best scientific manner, but the U.S. must realize that the use of radioactive substances is increasing rapidly. Public health authorities must familiarize themselves with radioactivity as a regular problem. In the curriculum of the atomic age, said AEC Chairman David E. Lilienthal, radiation "has become a kind of fourth R."

Locks & Winds. At present, AEC experts explained, this fiercely dangerous stuff is well locked up. The Clinch River flowing near Oak Ridge is less radioactive than many mineral springs whose water is highly prized for drinking. The air outside the Oak Ridge plant is safe too. A man moving to Oak Ridge would get increased radiation equivalent only to the increase he would get (from cosmic rays) if he moved from sea level to an altitude of 5,000 feet, e.g., Denver.

The new atomic plants now abuilding will be safeguarded carefully. The pile at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Long Island, 65 miles east of Manhattan, will operate only when there is enough wind to dilute its radioactive cooling gases below the danger point. Elaborate studies are being made by the U.S. Geological Survey to make sure that no radioactive wastes get into Long Island's water supply. The "hot" uranium slugs from Brookhaven's pile will be put underground to keep them from making trouble.

Plumbing & Clams. But the time is coming, the AEC warned, when radioactive substances will be common outside such guarded centers. More & more laboratories are using radioisotopes (see above), and the atomic power plants of the future will necessarily contain vast quantities of radioactive material. It will be the duty of health authorities to see that none of the stuff damages the public.

To deal with the wave of future radiation, sanitary engineers should have Geiger counters and know how to use them. They will have to watch carefully all producers and users of radioactive material. They will have to make plumbers wear rubber gloves when cleaning "active" drain traps. They must test rivers, water supplies and sewers to make sure that no radioactivity has slipped in.

The problem is not a simple one. For instance, many water creatures, from bacteria to mollusks and fish, have the bad habit of concentrating certain elements, including their radioactive isotopes, in their bodies. They are not damaged by them, but the man who eats them may not fare as well. Fish market inspectors of the future may have to deal with shipments of "hot" clams. So far, the AEC has not recommended Geiger counters for the family refrigerator.

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