ern part of the U.S. The pattern is less consistent in the western states, because the West was settled later, and many of those persons who are dying there grew up in the East where the geomagnetic levels (and cosmic radiation) are higher. That is all of the slides. Essentially what I am trying to point out is that in past studies what has been measured as background radiation is mainly gamma radiation. That does not differ very much over the nation. In fact, the highest level of gamma radiation is in Colorado which does not have the highest rates for congential anomalies or cancer deaths. I think what we have been overlooking in these background measurements are the particles. There are a lot of nuclear particulates in the cosmic radiation which have been discovered since earlier studies were made, and these particles are the components of cosmic radiation that are influenced by the geomagnetic fields. Some of these particles are ten to over 100 times as efficient in producing chromosome injuries as gamma rays are. 1/ Stewart, A., Webb, J. and D. Hewitt. Survey of Childhood Malignancies. British Medical Journal. v. 1. 1958: 1495-1508. 2/ Gibson, R.Q., Graham, S., Lilienfeld, A.M., Bross, I. et al. Leukemia in Children Exposed to Multiple Risk Factors. New England Journal of Medicine. v. 279. Oct. 1968: 906-909. 3/ Bross, I. and N. Natarajah. Leukemia from Low-Level Radiation; Identification of Susceptible Children. New England Journal of Medicine. v. 287. July 1972: 107-110. 4/ Beebe, Kato, and Land. Study of A-bomb survivors. Radiation Research, 1971: 613-649. (The fourth report in a series.) 5/ Diamond, E.L., Schmerler, H., and A.M. Lilienfeld. The Relationship of Intra-Uterine Radiation to Subsequent Mortality and Development of Leukemia in Children. American Journal of Epidemiology. v. 97. May 1973: 283-313. 6/ Wesley, J.P. Background Radiation as the Cause of Fatal Congenital Malformations. International Journal of Radiation Biology. v. 2. 1960:97-118. -19 |