Dr. George Voelz, M.D.
Short Biography
Medical School; Start at Los Alamos Application Medical Group (1950)
Tissue Studies of Plutonium Workers
Plutonium Injection Studies (1945 and 1946)
Early Impressions and Challenges (1952)
Long-Term Follow-Up Studies of Plutonium Workers (1991 and 1992)
Therapeutic Injections of Plutonium Move to Idaho (1957)
Fatal Worker Accident at Idaho's SL-1 Reactor (1961)
Controlled Environmental Radioiodine Tests (1963–1968)
Informed Consent at Idaho
Tracer Studies on Human Volunteers at Los Alamos (1955 to Late '60s)
Development of Decontamination Technique and Esophegeal Probe
Radionuclide Intake Studies at Los Alamos
Studies to Predict the Effects of Radionuclide Inhalation and Digestion From Nuclear-Powered Rockets (Los Alamos, 1950s)
Use of a Particle Accelerator to Explore Cancer Therapy (Los Alamos)
Pion Radiation Therapy at Los Alamos (1974)
Allegations That the Transuranium Registry has Impeded Settlement of Workman's Compensation Claims
Evidence For and Against Links Between External Radiation Exposure and Cancer Incidence Rates
Correcting Misperceptions About the Los Alamos Human Radiation Experiments
Continuing Follow-Up Studies of Plutonium Workers
1 plutonium workers
2 The AEC contracted with the Hanford Environmental Health Foundation (HEHF) in Richland, Washington for a National Plutonium Regustry in 1967. In 1970, the name was changed to U.S. Transuranium Registry (USTR). USTR's function was to study post-mortem tissues from exposed workers to determine the pattern of distribution, concentration, and retention of transuranic elements. The USTR currently is operated by Washington State University.
3 at the Nevada Test Site
4 an event in which a fissionable material unexpectedly undergoes a chain reaction
5 From 1945 to 1947, 18 persons were injected with plutonium and excreta samples were obtained for plutonium analyses.
6 ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid: a colorless compound capable of chelating a variety of metal ions; used in the treatment of heavy-metal poisonings
7 a substance that removes heavy metals from the bloodstream
8 See Human Radiation Experiments: Remembering the Early Days; An Interview With Pathologist Clarence Lushbaugh, M.D. (DOE/EH-0453), April 1995.
9 determining the relative amounts of radioactive elements in biological or chemical samples
10 a high-level DOE security clearance, comparable the a Top Secret clearance issued by the U.S. Department of Defense
11 a chemist in Health Division at Los Alamos interviewed November 30, 1994. The transcript of that interview will be published as DOE/EH-0459.
12 Dr. Langham received his Ph.D. in Pathology in 1942 and his M.D. in 1948, both from the University of Chicago.
13 medical researchers
14 a radioactive material that emits helium nuclei during radioactive decay; it can cause tissue damage if ingested or inhaled
15 J. Robert Oppenheimer, U.S. nuclear physicist (1904–1967)
16 The plutonium project was conducted to determine the biological retention and urinary excretion rates of injected plutonium in man.
17 at the University of Chicago's Billings Hospital
18 the University of Rochester (Rochester, NY)
19 exposures and contaminations
20 a technique whereby thin tissues sections are placed on photographic film to record tracks if radioactive particles are emitted
21 radial pattern of alpha tracks from a focal point in tissue indicating plutonium deposition
22 a bone between the lumbar vertebrae and tail vertebrae, composed of five fused vertebrae and forming the rear wall of the pelvis
23 Distant Early Warning—a 3,000-mile network of radar stations maintained by the U.S. and Canada to provide advance warning of hostile planes or missiles
24 1963–1968 studies to examine the transport of radioiodine through the air-vegetation-cow-milk-human food chain
25 time required for half the atoms of a radioactive substance to decay
26 compounds containing iodine
27 In 1966, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) made recommendations to the Surgeon General's Office for the creation of what are now known as Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). IRBs review and approve medical research involving humans.
28 Los Alamos Medium Energy Physics Facility, an accelerator facility
29 removal of radioactive material from the bloodstream or organs, using chemical complexing agents
30 a chemical material used to enhance the excretion of cesium
31 time required for half of the material to clear from an organ
32 a fluid that emits light when a radioactive emission passes through it, used to measure radioactivity
33 HUMCO I is the first whole body radiation counter that became operational at Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1956; the sensitivity and noninvasiveness of this new instrument permitted studies at levels 10 to 100 times below established limits of exposure.
34 Don Petersen was interviewed on November 29, 1994; the transcript of that interview will be published as DOE/EH-0460.
35 Los Alamos Medium Energy Physics Facility
36 a fundamental particle
37 relating to the study of the structure of tissue
38 National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
