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achieved in reducing the contamination with the invisible oxides of
sulphur, the component which possibly is the most damaging to the human
system of the various pollutants. Other problems to be tackled will be
those of fumes from motor transport, a matter possibly of real importance
in large towns with their traffic congestion and concentration of toxic
gases from the exhausts.
Smoke in the outer air is something which should be eliminated
whether because it is a nuisance or because it touches the pocket or
damages the health. The damage done to the lungs of the smoker is
something which he might claim is a matter which he alone is concerned
about. Non-smokers though are entitled to be free from the nuisance,
if not from the possible risk of health, they are subjected by those smoking
in theatres, cinemas and public transport. With an appreciation of the
injury atmospheric pollution can bring about and with a knowledge of
the definite relationship between consumption of cigarettes and the incidence
of cancer of the lung, it is most improbable that the damage done
by the smoke of the cigarette is confined to the smoker himself.
Hazards of Radiation: This is a subject to which these days increasing
attention is being devoted. As yet only small numbers of
people are especially exposed to radiation at their places of employment,
but the general public is exposed to radiation beyond the normal background
through x-rays at hospitals and in shoe shops, from the luminous
dials of watches and clocks, from television tubes and at high altitude
flying. Although each of these exposures is minute, the aggregate
received by the population is greater than that received by radiation
workers. The disposal of radio active waste is potentially the greatest
public health problem in work with radio-active materials and in the
development of nuclear power. Alternative methods of dealing with
radio-active wastes are to dilute them to such a low concentration that
they can safely be dispersed into the surrounding environment, or to
concentrate them into conveniently small bulk and to store them until
they decay to a sufficient level or in some cases indefinitely.
The problem as affecting the general public is dealt with in a Medical
Research Council Report on " Hazards to Man of Nuclear and Allied
Radiations." The following are extracts from this report—
" If the dose of radiation from natural sources to the gonads of the
general population is expressed as 100, then the following percentage
figures show the additional estimated doses that may be expected from
artificial sources: diagnostic radiology, at least 22; radiotherapy, unknown;
shoe fitting, 0.1; luminous watches and clocks, 1.0; television
sets, much less than 1.0; high altitude flying, insignificant; occupational
exposure to radiology, at least 1.6; Atomic Energy Authority, 01,
fall-out from test explosions, less than 1 .0.
In the meantime, we feel bound to state our opinion that it is unlikely
that any authoritative recommendation will name a figure for permissible
radiation dose to the whole population, additional to that received from
the natural background, which is more than twice that of the genera
value for natural background radiation. The recommended value may,
indeed be appreciably lower than this.
We consider that the time has come for a review of present practice