U.S. radiated tens of thousands--but saved Kodak film
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By G. Dunkel

The U.S. government is still trying to cover up the damage and risks from nuclear tests it conducted in the 1950s. Details emerge with glacial slowness.

But some facts are becoming known. One is that because of the testing, tens of thousands of people are at risk of thyroid cancer--a curable form of the disease if those at risk are screened so that it can be caught early.

However, none of those at risk as a result of the tests has known to be screen ed-- because the government never told them they were at risk.

The government didn't keep the testing and the damage it caused a complete secret, though. Officials informed Kodak and other companies whenever tests were being performed, so that their film wouldn't be ruined.

In an Oct. 1 report, the National Cancer Institute estimated that nuclear testing caused 10,000 to 75,000 cases of thyroid cancer beyond what would otherwise be expected. Only one-third of these additional cases have so far been diagnosed.

The people at risk have not been identified, much less warned.

This report was mandated by a law passed in 1982. The NCI not only took 15 years to issue a report--but admitted in a news release accompanying the report that even after 15 years it did not satisfy all of its congressional mandate. It failed to develop a procedure for assessing an individual's risk.

The path from nuclear explosion to the human thyroid gland is through grass and milk. As it grows, grass picks up the radioactive Iodine-131 from nuclear fallout.

Then cows and goats eat the grass. The I-131 concentrates in their milk. Children drink more milk than adults, and their growing thyroid gland needs more iodine.

During the 1950s, some milk offered for sale in New York contained so much I-131 that it had to be dumped. This was not made known to the public at the time.

KODAK KNEW A LOT EARLIER

In July 1945, according to the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, a physicist at the Kodak Corp. discovered that some Kodak film was being fogged. The reason: Its packaging was made from corn-husks grown in Indiana that had picked up I-131 from the first nuclear test in New Mexico.

That test was secret. But Kodak managed the uranium processing plant at Oak Ridge, Tenn., for the Manhattan Project. It had an inside track on information about nuclear explosions.

In 1951, when the government began atmospheric testing in Nevada, the Kodak plant in Rochester, N.Y., was in one of the "hot spots" where wind currents and rain brought radioactive fallout from the Nevada tests. A large amount of film was fogged. After Kodak threatened to sue, the Atomic Energy Commission promised to warn Kodak about future tests so it could take precautions.

In fact, the government warned all film manufacturers about the testing. But the Atomic Energy Commission never warned the public.

Sara Flounders, a co-author of "Depleted Uranium--Metal of Dishonor'' and a leader of the International Action Center, commented: "The AEC and the Pentagon put the profits of Kodak far ahead of the people's health. It was and is a criminal conspiracy to keep the people in the dark."

J.H. Webb - The Fogging of Photographic Film by Radioactive Contaminants in Cardboard Packaging Materials. Physical Review (1949) Vol 76, No. 3. August 1.

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Photographic Formulas: Uranium Toner, Uranium Print Toner, Uranium Toner (Kodak T-9).

Practically all toners are made from about 90% thermo-plastics which are colored with 10% carbon black pigment and are set with infra-red after being transferred to paper.

Toner is a finely divided solid. Do not breathe the dust. Move to fresh air if you breathe some. Eyes may become irritated upon contact. Flush with plenty of water (15 minutes normally) and seek medical treatment. Wash your skin with soap and water. No special controls are required for storing or using toner under normal conditions. If toner is spilled, clean up with a vacuum cleaner.

In recent years a new form of waste product has appeared and with it a new industry for its recovery. From the early days of photocopiers there has been concern about the disposal of the 'empty' toner cartridges in landfill because of the possibly toxic nature of the chemical residues, and with the advent of the ubiquitous laser printer the problem has mushroomed. Numerous companies have set out to make a business of recovering and refilling the empty cartridges as well as the smaller units such as inkjets and bubble–jets. By carefully selecting such companies after a series of trials to confirm suitable quality, we have now reached the situation where all empty cartridges are sent to one or another such company so that none goes to landfill and since many of these companies actually pay for the empties a steady income is earned from them. In addition, the recycled cartridges are significantly cheaper than new, and although there is not yet a policy within the company to 'buy recycled', in practice the majority of those purchased nowadays are refills.

One of the little-known benefits of the PREVENT-13 service is health-related. Most people are unaware that every laser printer includes an ozone filter that requires periodic replacement. During use, laser printers continually discharge ozone gas, corroding many of the plastic and metal parts inside the machine and reducing the lifespan of your printer. But, more importantly, ozone gas creates a respiratory hazard for people working near your printer, a problem eliminated by routine filter replacement.