Memo from To:

JOSHUA LEDERBERG E.N.Cramer

JAN 25 1971

Radiation Standards

It is hard ta prove that Gofman is wrong in

his estimate of cancer yield; but he does cascade
a number of implausible assumptions. I read he

is now taking a different tack -- that a single
case of radiation-induced cancer would be unjus-
tifiable murder; which shifts the argument to
quite another plane. The National Academy of
Sciences is making a comprehensive formal study
of radiation effects, and its report should be

a great help in clearing up the controversy.

The drafts you asked for are enclosed; I hope I
am still moving towards a clearer definition of
the issue, and will be preparing a more definitive
paper for the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

There is very little else on cost-benefit ana-
ysis. You may want to read the reports of the
the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of
Atomic Radiation, which are the principal guide-
posts in the field. & "Environmental Effects of
producing electric power", the hearings of the
Joint Gong. Committee on Atomic Energy, 1970.

Sincerely,

 

PROFESSOR JOSHUA LEDERBERG
Department of Genetics
School of Medicine

Stanford University
Stanford, California 94305