In 1994, the US goverment created the Office of Human Radiation Experiments to investigate the history of the Department of Energy's research using human subjects.
The radioactive materials used to build the atomic bomb did not exist in large supply before the War. Radioactive uranium had to be isolated from tons of ore and concentrated, Plutonium was created in atomic piles or reactors. As new substances, no one knew how dangerious they were. Therefore, the government authorized a number of experiements using human subjects to find out.
Your assignment this week is the read about early experiments with plutonium, uranium, and polonium conducted largely under the supervision of the Manhattan Project. As you read, try to understand why the US allowed and conducted experiements that we would not approve today.
ACHRE Report, Chapter 5: Experiments With Plutonium, Uranium, and Polonium
This link takes you to the outline for Chapter 5. Make sure you read all sections, through to the Conclusion. As you read, click on as many links as you have time. Some will take you to interesting primary materials, that is to original documents written by the government and some of the physicians doing the experiment.
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