Reactors Undersea

Atomic power used to drive U.S. submarines has added a new dimension to medicine, says Commander Richard F. Dobbins, one of the first two Navy medics* to serve in the revolutionary craft.

Medical problems in Nautilus and Seawolf, Dr. Dobbins told the Queensborough Rotary Club in New York's Long Island City this week, are not merely an extension of those met in conventional diesel-electric subs; they constitute "a really new and unique entity," in which the problem of protecting the crew against radiation is a surprisingly minor factor. Unlike old-fashioned subs, which had a Navy surgeon aboard as an occasional guest, the atomic subs always carry a medical officer and two hospital corpsmen to carry out round-the-clock safety checks and research.

Dials & Smoking. Dr. Dobbins' report noted many oddities. At sea, he said, the danger that radiation from the reactor which drives the sub may damage the crew's health is negligible, so effective is its lead shielding. But in port (where pre-atomic subs represented no hazard) the danger skyrockets: part of the shielding may be removed for nucleonics technicians to work on the power plant. Another oddity: though detectable radiation gets into the air and might conceivably build up to health-hazard proportions, it does not come from the reactor. The heavy villains are the radium-painted luminous dials and markers used to permit operating in the dark. In a completely closed ventilating system with recycled air, the radon gas emitted by such markers becomes so concentrated that it could hinder detection of an actual reactor leak. After the markers were replaced by a nonradioactive type, an appreciable radon concentration remained. It was found to come from the dials of crewmen's luminous wristwatches, but was fortunately too low to menace health.

It had been generally taken for granted that the carbon monoxide in the air would disappear when diesel engines were replaced with atomic reactors, said Dr. Dobbins. Not so; the monoxide danger has become worse. Reason: while the diesel sub had to have fresh outside air blown through on an average of every twelve hours, the atomic sub uses its original quota of air as long as it stays down. And that air is fouled by crew members' smoking, which in time can produce a higher monoxide level than did the old diesels. Both carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide must be removed, by elaborate nitration processes, as fast as possible. When the two gases are present together, even in amounts that would be safe if considered separately, the monoxide reinforces the poisonous powers of the dioxide.

Frig Leak. In the old pigboats, many other fumes and gases could be safely disregarded because they were periodically flushed out. Example: leaks of a common refrigerant gas (its identity remains a Navy secret) used in subs for many years. With Nautilus and Seawolf staying below for days and even weeks, the concentration of this gas built up to a point where many crew members had irritation in their respiratory systems; undetected and uncorrected, it would have become a definite health hazard.

No matter where the experts may eventually fix the dose of radiation that can be considered safe, Commander Dobbins was sure that atomic sub crews--within a few yards of the reactor for 24 hours a day--so far have been exposed to only a fraction of permissible totals. When industry goes into full-scale production and operation of reactors for civilian power needs, it will have an invaluable body of data collected from the first men to go under the sea in atomic vessels.

*The other: Lieut. Commander John H. Ebersole; who served in Nautilus for the first year after her commissioning (1954), then transferred to Seawolf, while Commander Dobbins went to Nautilus.

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