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Comments upon and Criticisms of a Report to U.S.Radium
Corp. by Dr. Cecil K. Drinker, dated June 3,1924,
Concerning the Cause of Necrosis of the Jaw
among Dial Painters.
This report is being submitted at the request of Dr. H.H. Barker, Vice President
of the U. S. Radivm Corp. , as outlined in his letter to the writer, dated
Jan. 11, 1928.
All of my own experience and all of my reading of the literature lead
me to believe that the magnitude of the physiological effect of radium, other
things being equal, is more or less closely proportional to the product of
the quantity of radium and the duration of the exposure -- the larger the
quantity and the longer the time of exposure the more pronounced the effect.
Furthermore, quantity and duration being fixed, distance of the radium from the
person greatly influences the effect -- naturally the farther removed, the less
the effect; the closer the approach, the more pronounced the effect. The
effect of radium outside the body is due to so-called rays or radiations.
These are of 3 kinds, a,l and to , each kind absolutely distinct and different
from either of the others. The a rays are helium atoms which are wholly
stopped by the glass walls of any tube in which the Ra is contained, if the
glass is thicker than a sheet of writing paper. Therefore in exposure
to
external radium the a rays are to be left out of consideration.
The B rays are electrons -- particles of electricity -- which can pene-
trate thin glass with only partial absorption and can penetrate the skin and
tissues to a slight extent. The rays are ether vibrations. These are of
the same general nature as radio broadcasting waves, visible light, and X-rays.
Broadcasting waves are very long - 200 to 500 meters. X-rays are very short,
gamma rays are still shorter. The latter penetrate all kinds of material more
or less readily; they are absorbed in passing through such material, being
absorbed or stopped more readily by screens of metallic lead then by other
material of equal thickness. The greater the thickness the greater the absorp-
tion of the gamma rays. Only gamma rays can escape from radium screened with
1/8 of an inch of sheet lead.
In brief, the physiological effect pr oduced by radium, external to the
body, depends upon,
1. Quantity of radium
2. Duration of exposure
3. Distance from body
4. Screening
Other radioactive substances behave in large measure like radium in respedt to
the foregoing conditions.
When radium is taken into the body, the effect produced will depend on
the quantity of radium, on the length of time the radium remains in the body,
which in turn is largely governed by the speed of its elimination from the body.
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"ocrText": "Comments upon and Criticisms of a Report to U.S.Radium\nCorp. by Dr. Cecil K. Drinker, dated June 3,1924,\nConcerning the Cause of Necrosis of the Jaw\namong Dial Painters.\nThis report is being submitted at the request of Dr. H.H. Barker, Vice President\nof the U. S. Radivm Corp. , as outlined in his letter to the writer, dated\nJan. 11, 1928.\nAll of my own experience and all of my reading of the literature lead\nme to believe that the magnitude of the physiological effect of radium, other\nthings being equal, is more or less closely proportional to the product of\nthe quantity of radium and the duration of the exposure -- the larger the\nquantity and the longer the time of exposure the more pronounced the effect.\nFurthermore, quantity and duration being fixed, distance of the radium from the\nperson greatly influences the effect -- naturally the farther removed, the less\nthe effect; the closer the approach, the more pronounced the effect. The\neffect of radium outside the body is due to so-called rays or radiations.\nThese are of 3 kinds, a,l and to , each kind absolutely distinct and different\nfrom either of the others. The a rays are helium atoms which are wholly\nstopped by the glass walls of any tube in which the Ra is contained, if the\nglass is thicker than a sheet of writing paper. Therefore in exposure\nto\nexternal radium the a rays are to be left out of consideration.\nThe B rays are electrons -- particles of electricity -- which can pene-\ntrate thin glass with only partial absorption and can penetrate the skin and\ntissues to a slight extent. The rays are ether vibrations. These are of\nthe same general nature as radio broadcasting waves, visible light, and X-rays.\nBroadcasting waves are very long - 200 to 500 meters. X-rays are very short,\ngamma rays are still shorter. The latter penetrate all kinds of material more\nor less readily; they are absorbed in passing through such material, being\nabsorbed or stopped more readily by screens of metallic lead then by other\nmaterial of equal thickness. The greater the thickness the greater the absorp-\ntion of the gamma rays. Only gamma rays can escape from radium screened with\n1/8 of an inch of sheet lead.\nIn brief, the physiological effect pr oduced by radium, external to the\nbody, depends upon,\n1. Quantity of radium\n2. Duration of exposure\n3. Distance from body\n4. Screening\nOther radioactive substances behave in large measure like radium in respedt to\nthe foregoing conditions.\nWhen radium is taken into the body, the effect produced will depend on\nthe quantity of radium, on the length of time the radium remains in the body,\nwhich in turn is largely governed by the speed of its elimination from the body."
}