BIOLOGICAL STUDIES WI'I'H POLONIUM, RADIUbI, AND PLUTONIUM Edited by ROBERT 1\11. FINK, Ph.D. .4 s CCT I 2 1 t. C ! I 11 I c ;I 1 P I.ofes SOr of Ph y si olc,eira1 C he m i st r y . School rvf hledlci!ie. Vniverslly of C.ililornia at LOS Amrlrs: Research Chemist. Birminghanl \' et c r a r. s .4 d ni I n i st r 11i on H o sp11 a I, Van Suys. California F,irmer Iy A:sI>iar.t Prufrssnr of Radlolocy and Biophyslcs. Sch(~c.1Of hledlcinc and Denllstry, L'niversiiv of Rochester Ne.*. York . Toronto . London MCCRAW- HILL' BOOK COMPA N+, INC . 1950 PREFACE This volume is oiic of n series uhirh has: been preparedas a record of the resrnrrli uork di>ne under the hlanhattan Project and the Atomic Energy Coniinission. The Iianic hlanhattan Project was assigned by the Corps nf Engineers. War Department, to thr far-flung scientific and enginecritic activities which lndas their objective the utilizationof atumic enrrry for military purposes. In the attainment of this objec- tive. there -u.rrc many developments in scientilic and technical fields which are of Ernera1 interest. The National Nuclear Energy Series IManhattan Pro jcct Technical Section) is a record of these scientilic and technical contributions. as well as of the developments in these fields which arc being sponsored by the Atomic Energy Commission. The declassified portion of the National Nuclear Energy Series, when conipletcd. IS expected to consist of some 60 volumes. These will be groulwd into eight divisions, as follows: Divisioii I - Electromagnetic Separation Project Divisioii I1 -. Gaseous Diffusion Project Division 111 - Spccinl Separations Project Division 1Lr - Plutonium Project Divisioii V - Los Alamos Project Division VI - University of Rochrstcr Project Division VI1 - - hlaterials Procurement Project Division VI11 - hlanhattan Project Soori aftrr the close of thc unr the hlanhattan Project was able to give its attention to rhc preparation of a complete record of the research work accomplished under Project contracts. Writing pro- grams were authorizes at all laboratorie.s, with the object of obtaining complete coverage of Prujtct results. Each major installation was requested to designnte one or more representatives to make up a , committee, which iva? first called the Manhattan Project Editorial Advisory Board, and :ater. after the sponsorship of lhe Series was assumed by the Atomic Energy Commission, the Project Editorial Advisory Board. Thi? group wade plans to coordinate the writing programs at all the iiistallations. and acted as an advisory group in all matters affecting the Project-wide writing program. Its last meeting was held on Feh. 9, 1948, when it recommended the publisher for the Series. 9. VI1 viii PREFACE Thc innips of t..’ Board members and of the installations which tlwy represented ;’re given below. .) .4tr~niirEjlerEy Commission pul~licrind TPcnnical Inlorrnatiori Alberio F. Thompson Srrvirf Technical Information Division. Brpwer F. Boardrnan Oak Ridce Extension Office of Sew Tork Operations Charlrr; Slesser. J. H. Hayner. W.11. Hearon Rrook1,avcn National Laboratory Richard u’. Dodson Carbide h Cnrbori Chemicals R. E. Korsrneyer. W. L. Harwell, Corporation (K-251 D. E. Hull. Ezra Staple Carllidc X Carbon Chemicals Russell Baldock Corporation I Y-12) + Clintoii Laboratories ? J. R. Coe General Electric Company. Haniord T. u’. Hauli Gt-wrnl Elrctric Cornp3ny. John P. Howe Kiiollc Atomic Pouer Laboratory tiel 1 ex Corporation John F. Hogerton, Jerome Simson, hl. Benedict Lo5 Alarnoc R. R. Davis, Ralph Carlisle Smith Sationnl Bureau of Standards C. J. Rodden Pluionruni Project Argonnp Sat iorial Latrora tory R. S. Mulliken. H. D. Young 1t)u.a Statt. College F. H. Spedding \It.dical Group R. E. Zirkle CAhl Laboratories : C. M. Murphy Zlq’i!r. 6 U’rbster Engineering 8. W. Whilehurst CorpFration Lni\ rriity of California R. K. Wakerling, A. Cuthrie Cnivrrsily of Rochester D. R. Charles, M. J. Wantman -- PR E F .4 C E ix hfariy difficulties were encountered in preparink .I unified account of Atomic Energy Project work. For example, the Project Editorinl Advisory Board xas the first conitnittee ever org3::izcd with repre- srnlntirfc2sfrom every major instnilation of the Atomic Energy Projvrt. Compartmentsticn for security UASso rigorous during the war that it had been considered necessary to allow a certain amount of dupli- 'cation of effort rathpr than to permit unrestricted circulation of research information betueen certain installations. As ;i result. the writing programs of dirlererit installations inevitably overlap markedly in many scientific fields. The Editorial Advisory Board has exerted itseli to reduce duplication in so far as possible and to eliminate discrepancies in factual data included in the volumes of the NNES. In particular, unified Project -uide volumes have been prepared on Uranium Chemistry aw,on the Analysis of Project Matcrials. Nevertheless, the reader uill find many instances of differences in results or conclusions on similar subject matter prepared by different authors. This has not seemed uholly undesirable for several reasons. First of all, such divergencies are not unnatural and stimulate in- vestigation. Second. promptness of publication has seemed niore important than the removal 01 all discrepancies. Finally, many Pro- ject scientists completed their contributions some time ago and have become engrossed in other activities so that their time has not been available for a detailed review of their work in relation to similar work don€ at other installations. The completion of the various individual volumes of the Series hns 3150 been beset with difficulties. Many of the key authors and editors have had important responsibilities in planning the future of atomic energy research. Under these circumstances, the completion of this tc>chnical series has been delayed loiiger than its editors wished. The )lunies ;ire heing released in their present form in the interest 01 ,~~sentingthe material as promptly as possible to those who can make use of it. The Editorial Advisory Board . The blmhattan Project Technical Scrticn of the National Furlear Energy Series is intended lo bc a comprehensive account 01 the XI- entilic and technical arhievements of (he lliiited Stiles precrlm for Ihe dewlopmen1 of alornic enerpy. It 15 net intended 10 bc 3 detailed documentary record of lhe niakine of my inventions th3l happen lo be mentioned in it. Therefore. Ihe dates used in the Serit.5 should be regarded 3s a peneral temporal franw of relercnre, ra1hr.r than as establishing dates 01 conception of inventions, 01 their reduclinn lo practice. or 01 occasions of Iirxt use. H'hil? a rer5on3blc elfort has been made to assicn rredit fairly in Ihc NKES volumes. this ni.cy. in rrmv cases. be given to a proup ldcnlilied by thc name of its leader rXher than lo an individual who was an actual inventor. -. CXIVERSITY OF ROCHF:STEIi PR0.T ECT FOREWORD / Th'e Unii'er.sit!. of Rocl;c.-ter h1;iiih;itt:in PI.CIJ~C~had its inception On .2pril 5, 1943, with thc appointment of Dr. Stafford L. Wari'en.* Pro- Iwsor of Radiology and Chairman rll 1h(* Dcpartment d Radiology at !lie University uf Rochester Scliocrl 01 hlvdicine and Dentistry, AS Con- -ult;int to the P,lnnllattan Eneiric.~rDi:lrict (Inter ns Chief of the Med- ical Scction). Uiidr~his guidnncc ;ind direction the local project was ,stnblished and its opcrnticmnl policirs formulated. On November 2, 1943, Dr Warren Uac: commicsirmed colunel in the Army Medical I\. orps. and the subsequent respcmsibilily for the Project was assumed 135' the present Director on Novernbvr 13. 1943. In ninny respects the atmosphere rJ! the uork w;is in marked con- 'rast to the academic freedom d n university environment. The re- Parch w:is frequently of npplicd r;ithc.r th:in of fundamental nature, :IioUgh the latter was by no mc;inc Inckinc. In addition to physical and ,piritual isolation from our :iccucton;ed cnnfrerps. we found ourselves wrrounded by n multitudi of security. .\rniy. governmental, and war- lanpoxer regulations, but the nnjvrit?. of tlrc personnel made the messary nicntal adjustments uithuul undue. h:irdship and with corn- qpndable re:isonahlenesc :tnd gwId Kr:ic(.. !itv infrequently we found (lese appnrent handicaps uorking I(. cur riiuta.il ndvnlitace. The orgnniz3tirIn of thr- Project x.I.. iil..c,ui:Gc. unusunl and. to a cer- :in extpnt. experimental. TIJ arcunipli-ii thc tn+k in the specified lmc and ((1 utilize effectiyely expcrier.(.( r! ~vr~onii~.Imade scarce by r'tivlF demands of thr war. indlr.i(i3u.ii- '~~rt'placed iri positions lie I,, r capahi1itie.q could pi-oduce niasiniuni benefit tothe Project .. a wllcrle. To thi; end. ten autonomrus but niu~uallyinterdependent .ivisionh were eshlilished, whocp coorciinnti~~iiwas effected through . c Director's Office so that priori!ics mi ni.itcrial. manpower, and )nccntrnlion of effort could be chni:ncIrd ir. thr proper direction with ..Y shifting phases of the various prchleti;-. Ex1)eriments were dis- .4.~sedand organized on a cooperativl:- b,isis through J system of plaluiing sessions" in such a manlier thlil the Cspert opinion of par- ipating members of specialized divisions could make major contri- ,itions to the structure of many of the espcrinients. This procedure e. 'Sow Dea:. of the Medical School, Cniversity of California at Los Angeles. XI xii L'KR'ER51TY OF ROCHESTER PROJECT FOREWOR3 nlsn twnblpd the dii.::-ions of Pnthologg, Hcnintolopy, ;rnd Statistics to coordinate their 3. livities with other divisions so that they could aiialyzr properly thr inass of experimental data which niust, of neces- sity , I )ns c: through the i r respectiv P Inbo r ;I to r ies. It would be misleading to aver that this system of research proce- dure presented here was without fault and not beset by difficulties.