Department of Energy: Information on DOE's Human Tissue Analysis Work
(Fact Sheet, 05/24/95, GAO/RCED-95-109FS).

In 59 radiation studies, most of them dating to the 1950s or 1960s, the
federal government examined the effects of radiation, such as nuclear
fallout, on more than 15,000 human subjects. Often, these studies
involved corpses or body parts for which consent was not given by family
members.  A few of the studies are still ongoing.  The largest study
obtained nearly 9,000 human bone samples to determine the accumulation
of radioactive elements in humans as a result of nuclear fallout.  For
at least a few of the studies, there is little verifiable evidence that
the subjects participated with knowledge of the experiments or their
risk.  In one experiment, persons with short life expectancies were
injected with plutonium to study its effects on the body.  In another
study, stillborn babies were cremated to determine the content, in their
ashes, of strontium that resulted from atmospheric nuclear weapons
testing.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  RCED-95-109FS
     TITLE:  Department of Energy: Information on DOE's Human Tissue 
             Analysis Work
      DATE:  05/24/95
   SUBJECT:  Public health research
             Radiation exposure hazards
             Radiation monitoring
             Radiation safety
             Nuclear energy
             Information analysis operations
             Clearinghouses
             Working conditions
             Occupational safety
             Radiation accidents

             
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