'RANDOM MURDER BY TECHNOLOGY': THE ROLE OF SCIENTIFIC AND BIOMEDICAL EXPERTS IN THE ANTI-NUCLEAR MOVEMENT, 1969 - 1992 LISA A. RUMIEL A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN HISTORY YORK UNIVERSITY, TORONTO, ONTARIO AUGUST 2009 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaONK1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-54104-3 Our file Notre r6f6rence ISBN: 978-0-494-54104-3 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1*1 Canada Random Murder by Technology: The Role of Scientific and Biomedical Experts in the Anti-Nuclear Movement, 1969 -1992 By Lisa A. Rumiel a dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of York University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY © 2009 Permission has been granted to: a) YORK UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES to lend or sell copies of this dissertation in paper, microform or electronic formats, and b) LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA to reproduce, lend, distribute, or sell copies of this dissertation anywhere in the world in microform, paper or electronic formats and to authorize or procure the reproduction, loan, distribution or sale of copies of this dissertation anywhere in the world in micro­ form, paper or electronic formats. The author reserves other publication rights, and neither the dissertation nor extensive extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the auHior's written permission. ABSTRACT 'RANDOM MURDER BY TECHNOLOGY': THE ROLE OF SCIENTIFIC AND BIOMEDICAL EXPERTS IN THE ANTI-NUCLEAR MOVEMENT, 1969 - 1992 By Lisa A. Rumiel This dissertation analyzes the work of activist-oriented American physicians and scientists in the late 1960s, assessing how they challenged policy makers to seriously address the risks associated with nuclear power and nuclear weapons technology between 1969 and 1992. Specifically, this project focuses on the activities of Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), and Rosalie Bertell, who worked under the auspices of three organizations - the Ministry of Concern for Public Health (MCPH), the Jesuit Centre for Social Faith and Research (JCSFR), and the International Institute of Concern for Public Health (IICPH). All of these non-profit organizations were founded during the third wave of the anti-nuclear movement - UCS in 1969, PSR in 1979, IPPNW in 1981, MCPH and JCSFR in 1978, and IICPH in 1983. They fit neatly into sociologist, Scott Frickel's definition of "public interest science organizations," which are "distinguished by their explicit mission to seek ways to use science for the benefit of the public and by their connections to political movements." As well, the scientific and technological concerns of each of these organizations were all somehow related to the iv public health and/or environmental consequences of nuclear technology. The dissertation argues that the pre-existing hierarchy in the sciences (where physics and engineering were favoured over 'softer' sciences like medicine and epidemiology), the ways that gender ideology shaped the practice of science, and the tendency of the nuclear bureaucracy and the American media to feminize the work of social activists uniquely influenced the approach to activism within each of these groups. These same factors (as well as the relative size of each organization) structured the evolution of each group's understanding of nuclear risks. v DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to the two loves of my life, Matthew and Ellie Sloan VI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Writing a dissertation is hard work, but I was very lucky to have had the unending support of a long list of people, who made completing this project possible. I would like to thank some of them here. My committee members all made very significant contributions to this dissertation. Marlene Shore and Kathryn McPherson have been a constant source of encouragement and inspiration. At a crucial time in my writing, Marlene stepped up her duties as a committee member and played the role of stand-in supervisor, carefully reading and commenting on multiple chapters and emails. Kathryn gave me a run for my money in the final stages of this project, asking me the re-write my introduction more times than I care to recall here. The final product offers a much clearer map of the central themes and questions that are explored in this thesis and I am very grateful for her guidance and patience during that time. It is difficult to put into words how much Georgina Feldberg's supervisory role on this project means to me. From taking me under her wing during the first year of my PhD as I struggled to understand the history of medicine, to reading and commenting on multiple drafts of my thesis, to finding me research work when I was broke, to hooking me up with people to stay with when I was doing research in Cambridge, to giving me her daughter's old baby clothes, Gina has been the best supervisor that I could ever ask for. Even as she has struggled with this horrible illness over the last three years, Gina has continued to be a huge support and in vii the final stages she pushed me to sharpen my analysis when I was desperate to throw caution to the wind and just hand the dissertation in. I am particularly grateful for this. I must also acknowledge the financial support of the Associated Medical Services and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, which made it possible for me to work on this dissertation without taking on too many extra jobs. I am also grateful to the Women's History Reading Group, the now-defunct Organizations Reading Group, attendees of the New Frontiers in Graduate History Conference, members of Canadian Society for the History of Medicine, the European Association for the History of Medicine, and the History of Science Society, where I tried out my ideas and received encouragement and feedback on early drafts of my chapters. I have also benefitted greatly from the lively discussions I have had with my students over the past 6 years, particularly those who took Medicine and North America in Historical Perspective. York University's History Department has been a wonderful place to make myself an intellectual home over the past 7 plus years. Professors Molly Ladd-Taylor, Christopher Armstrong, Bettina Bradbury, Craig Heron, Marlene Shore, Marcel Martel, and Marc Egnal all played a critical role in teaching me how to write about and interpret the past. Marlene Shore, Bettina Bradbury, Stephen Brooke, Marcel Martel, Anne Rubenstein, and Carolyn Podruchny each took their turn as Graduate Director during my time at York and they have all been equally supportive and kind. I am also very grateful viii to Myra Rutherdale, who was a great boss during my final year and who serves as an inspiration for the kind of historian I one day hope to become. Everyone who is a member of the Graduate Program in History knows that Lisa Hoffman is the glue that holds us together! I appreciate very much the generosity that Lisa has shown to me over the years. Special thanks also go to Michelle Murphy at the University of Toronto, who agreed to direct a reading course in the History of Gender and Health for me during my first year. My discussions with Michelle and the books she had me read were pivotal in shaping my dissertation project and, indeed, my thinking about the history of science, gender, and medicine. There are also several graduate students I met at York whose friendships I value a great deal. Dr. Christine Grandy, Dr. Tarah Brookfield, Dr. David Mizener, Dr. Sarah Glassford, Dr. Sean Kheraj, Mark Abraham, Chris Dooley, Eva Kater, Dr. Eric Strikwerda, Dr. Ian Hesketh, Ian Mosby, Heather Steele, Jenny Ellison, Laura Godsoe, Natalie Gravelle, and Shannon Stettner have been great colleagues. In particular, Dr. Kristin Burnett and Dr. Julia Lalande were always there to listen to my daily rants about dissertation research and writing.