Article ID: CBB161117781

Let Chromosomes Speak: The Cytogenetics Project at the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) (2021)

unapi

Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) are “witnesses” of the atomic bombings, not just in a standard sense but also in the instrumental sense. For medical and scientific experts, hibakusha are biological resources of unparalleled scientific value. Over the past seventy years, the hibakusha bodies have narrated what it means to be exposed to radiation. In this paper, I explore studies at the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) that examined hibakusha bodies as sites where risk could be read. I focus on a period from the mid-1950s to 1975, during which new methods, practices, and technologies allowed ABCC scientists to investigate chromosomes as a way to study radiation exposure and human risk. By focusing on chromosomal aberrations, ABCC scientists connected their work directly to the emerging infrastructure for radiobiology at the time. ABCC administrators actively sought out such prestige, especially given their relationship with the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). The shift in approach would also alleviate some public relations problems with which the institution was struggling. Launching a cytogenetics program required some older practices that had assumed American privilege and dominance to be abandoned. Eventually, the decision to let chromosomes speak of radiation exposure brought about fundamental changes in ABCC, which came to symbolize the model for future studies at the organization, especially as ABCC was transitioning to a US-Japan binational organization. More broadly, this case highlights the intricate scientific negotiation of radiation risk where uncertainties necessarily prevail.

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Article Jacob Hamblin; Linda M. Richards (2021) Connecting to the Living History of Radiation Exposure. Journal of the History of Biology (pp. 1-6). unapi

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https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB161117781/

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Authors & Contributors
Santesmases, María Jesús
Luedee, Jonathan
Wang, Hsiu-Yun
Hatakeyama, Sumiko
Young, Ken
You, Zhanhong
Concepts
Public health
Nuclear weapons; atomic weapons
Atomic bomb
Radiation sickness; radiation toxicology; Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS)
Cold War
Pollution, radioactive
Time Periods
20th century, late
20th century
21st century
20th century, early
Places
United States
Great Britain
Nagasaki (Japan)
Hiroshima-shi (Japan)
Arctic regions
South Africa
Institutions
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty; Partial Test Ban Treaty; Limited Test Ban Treaty (1963)
Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission
Radiation Effects Research Foundation
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
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