Re: radium dial painters

[xat@inel.gov (Alden Tschaeche)]

One of the most complete, if not the most complete, discussions of
radium dial painters with numerous references is found in Newell
Stannard's monumental book: Radioactivity and Health, A History,
particularly pp23-28.  I heartily recommend it to all radsafers. If you
could have only one book on the discovery, development, health effects
and standards for radiological health, that would be the one to read.  I
have read almost every word of the 1963 pages, but not all of the
references.  

The book is $67.50 and is printed by the DOE Office of Scientific and
Technical Information, October 1988.  It is edited by Raymond W.
Baalman, Jr. of the Pacific Northwest Laboratory, PNL.  The DOE number
is DOE/RL/01830-T59.

To summarize the information on pp23-28: The early (1925-1929)
observations were of "acute necrosis of the jaw, usually involving
infection and severe leukopenia and anemia, occurring from one to seven
years after the patients terminated work as dial painters."  There is no
information by Stannard as to whether ALL or only some of the dial
painters exhibited those symptoms.  There may be more information in the
references.  However, from later information, it would seem very
unlikely that ALL painters exhibited those symptoms because, "Cases
showing less serious effects began to appear."  And, "By the end of
1929, cases of osteogenic sarcoma began to appear, with the death of one
young woman.  Pathologic fractures began to appear also, and it was
clear that a second, more insidious, but just as serious, state had
begun."  About 50 out of the 800 or so painters were on a list of those
who might show such symptoms.  So, I conclude that not ALL painters
exhibited sysmptoms.  Many may not have exhibited any symptoms at all.
It would have depended on the magnitude of the deposition of
radium-226.  As it turned out in the MIT studies of painters by Robley
Evans, depositions less than 0.5 microcurie (microgram) in painters
produced no symptoms at all.  The standard was set at 0.1 micro gram
(micro curie).  That standard has withstood the test of time.  So,
clearly, there is a threshold for radiation effects at low doses, at
least from intakes of radium-226.  The LNTH does not apply for low doses
from intakes of radium-226.  And, those doses are not particularly low! 
Al Tschaeche xat@inel.gov