Re: Gofman letter

[rkathren@tricity.WSU.edu (Ron L. Kathren)]

Interesting ---

I do not believe that John Gofman was the head of the "Plutonium Group".
Rather I believe that during 1942, Gofman was indeed at Berkeley but was
concerned with U-233 of which he is acknowledged as the co-discoverer.  He
did in fact work on Pu, studying its fast neutron fission properties and
carrying out separation and in collaboration with Raymond Stoughton isolated
a 3.8 microgram sample (Sample J) in early 1942.  However, according to
Glenn T. Seaborg, " The first sample (0.5 microgram) of {Pu-239} isolated
and demonstration of fission by slow neutrons in Berkeley by Seaborg, Segre,
Kennedy, and Lawrence (Report A-33, May 29, 1941)." (Cited in "The Plutonium
Story: The Journals of Professor Glenn T. Seaborg 1939-1946", RL Kathren, JB
Gough, and GT Benefiel, Eds, Columbus:  Battelle Press, 1994, p. 301).  This
was the famous Sample A, isolated in March 1941; Arthur Wahl key role in the
chemical separation; Joseph Kennedy did the counting.  

Ron Kathren


    At 08:54 AM 5/21/99 -0500, Michael C. Baker wrote:
>
>
>FYI... The following is a letter being circulated within some anti-nuclear
>groups, with instructions to use the letter when dealing with the public,
>media, and legislators.
>
>Mike ...  mcbaker@lanl.gov
>
>
>
>
>
>UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
>BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 94720
>
>May 11, 1999
>LETTER OF CONCERN.
>
>To Whom It May Concern:
>
>During 1942, I led the "Plutonium Group" at the University of California,
>Berkeley, which managed to isolate the first milligram of plutonium from
>irradiated uranium.  (Plutonium-239 had previously been discovered by Glenn
>Seaborg and Edwin McMillan.)  During subsequent decades, I have studied the
>biological effects of ionizing radiation --- including the alpha particles
>emitted by the decay of plutonium.
>
>By any reasonable standard of biomedical proof, there is no safe dose, which
>means that just one decaying radioactive atom can produce permanent mutation
>in a cell's genetic molecules.  My own work showed this in 1990 for xrays,
>gamma rays, and beta particles (Gofman 1990: "Radiation-Induced Cancer from
>Low-Dose Exposure".  For alpha particles, the logic of no safe dose was
>confirmed experimentally in 1997 by Tom K. Hei and co-workers at Columbia
>University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York (Proceedings of
>the National Academy of Sciences (USA)  Vol. 94, pp. 3765-3770, April 1997,
>"Mutagenic Effects of a Single and an Exact Number of Alpha Particles in
>Mammalian Cells").
>
>It follows from such evidence that citizens worldwide have a strong
>biological basis for opposing activities which produce an appreciable risk
>of exposing humans and others to plutonium and other radioactive pollution
>at any level.  The fact that humans cannot escape exposure to ionizing
>radiation from various natural sources --- which may well account for a
>large share of humanity's inherited afflictions --- is no reason to let
>human activities INCREASE exposure to ionizing radiation.  The fact that
>ionizing radiation is a mutagen was first demonstrated in 1927 by Herman
>Joseph Muller, and subsequent evidence has shown it to be a mutagen of
>unique potency.  Mutation is the basis not only for inherited afflictions,
>but also for cancer.
>
>Very truly yours,
>
>(signed)
>John W. Gofman, M. D., Ph D
>Professor Emeritus of Molecular and Cell Biology
>
>
>------End forward message---------------------------
>
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