Date

Aug 7, 1946

Description

In the days after he wrote his spouse, Stafford Warren became even more disturbed about the radioactivity threat. By 7 August, his review of the potential dangers to personnel exposed to gamma radiation, beta radiation, and alpha emitters led him to conclude that decontamination and survey work had to be brought to an end quickly. Just by living on the lagoon, Warren noted, personnel already had daily exposure of up to 10 percent of the permitted doses of gamma radiation (0.1 roentgen daily was the official standard). For example, with respect to alpha emitters, e.g. plutonium particles, Warren wrote that "detection is a matter of great difficulty but it is insidiously toxic in very minute quantities."[17] Moreover, the most important target ships "had many lethal doses deposited on them and retained in crevices and other places involved in the final cleanup." And measuring the situation was difficult; according to section 4, "Instrument Situation," "relatively few instruments remain in trustworthy condition." Therefore, Warren concluded that because the "target vessels are in the main extensively contaminated with dangerous amounts of radioactivity," it was not possible to achieve "quick decontamination without exposing personnel seriously to radiation." Therefore, "The Task Force finds itself at a period where no further gain can be obtained without great risk of harm to personnel engaged in decontamination and survey work unless such work ceases in the very near future." He recommended that work stop on 15 August.

Source

NTA, NV0140692.

Document published in following posting(s):

Bikini A-Bomb Tests July 1946

Jul 22, 2016

Memorandum from Radiological Safety Adviser, Col. Stafford L. Warren, to Commander Joint Task Force One, "Occupancy of Target Vessels as Influenced by Intensity of Radiation of Various Types on Target Vessels," 7 August 1946, Top Secret [best copy available].