Third Of City's Population Would Die In Atomic Attack

Chronicle (Levin), 15 January 1949, Page 5

Third Of City's Population Would Die In Atomic Attack

t Eeceived Friday, 8.50 p.m. t t ( ClIKjAGO, January 13. TTnited States cifTcs are not yet prepai-cd 1o cope with" an atom bornb atlack, according to three atomic scicntists writhig in the American Modical Association Journal. They say atorn bombs'of the J utu ro will bc bigger and radio-isotopes used as weapons are "as frighteniug as bacteriological warfare." "At this particular inoment in spite of the fact tliat the atom bomb was developed in thc United States and great. strides have already been made in terms of a better understanding of the ' biologic effects of radiation, we wouid hardlyjie much better off to cope with an atom bomb attack on one of our major cities than were the Japanese at Nagasaki." The article said the CfOArernment and universities were spending "mjflions of dollars 011 research l'or diagnosing, treating and preventing radiation injury. One problem wouid be the separating for treatment of the thonsands injured Avho might recover from tliose inevitably doomecl by an overdcrse of radiation. Part of this , problem is at least answered by the calculations of physicists and other experts who presumably wouid be on the scene and wouid arbitrarily accept no easualties from certain determined aroas." The amount of radiation the victim absorbed could be calculated by the distanee from the explosi^n. The scientists estimate that one-third of the city's population Avould be killed in an explosion or die> later reggrdless of medical care, one-third wouid survive with medical eare, and the remaindef wouid not need attention. The authors are Dr. K, S. Stone, wartime atomic scientist; and Drs. Leon Jacobsen and J. Garrott Allen of the Argonne Nationa',1 Laboratory of Chicago.