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INQUIRY ATTEMPTING TO ESTABLISH IF INJECTEES OR NEXT OF KIN WERE INFORMED AS TO NATURE OR PURPOSE OF INJECTIONS AND TO PROVIDE BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT STUDIES ( 26 APR 74 )

HREX; AMERICIUM; CONSENT ISSUES; ETHICS; HUMANS; MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE; PATIENTS; PLUTONIUM; PLUTONIUM INJECTION EXPERIMENT

Location - DOE/NNSA NUCLEAR TESTING ARCHIVE Address - P.O. Box 98521 City - Las Vegas State - NV Zip - 89193-8521 Phone - (702)794-5106 Fax - (702)862-4240 Email - NTA@NV.DOE.GOV

LEGAL DOCUMENT

1974 Apr 26

Unknown

0007

NV0700016

1994 Aug 27

2012 May 14

THE EIGHT TYPEWRITTEN PAGES ARE A DRAFT BY MARKS (NO INITIALS GIVEN), DATED APRIL 26, 1974, THAT CONTAINS A FEW EDITING MARKS. THE OPENING PARAGRAPH STATES: THE CURRENT INQUIRY SEEKS TO ESTABLISH (A) WHETHER ANY OF THE 18 PLUTONIUM AND ONE AMERICIUM PATIENTS OR THEIR NEXT OF KIN WERE INFORMED ABOUT THE NATURE AND PURPOSE OF THE INJECTIONS AS THE TIME THEY WERE GIVEN OR WHEN THE RECENT FOLLOW-UP STUDIES WERE UNDERTAKEN AND (B) TO PROVIDE INCIDENTAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE STUDIES, INCLUDING THEIR JUSTIFICATION. THE TEXT IS IN OUTLINE FORM. IT DESCRIBES REASONS FOR UNDERTAKING THE STUDIES FOR THE EARLY PERIOD (1945-47) AND THE "RECENT PERIOD," ADDRESSING BOTH EXCRETION STUDIES AND EXHUMATION. INFORMED CONSENT AND DISCLOSURE FOR PATIENTS IN EACH TIME PERIOD ARE ALSO DISCUSSED SITE BY SITE, WITH THE MAJOR EMPHASIS ON THE ARGONNE CENTER FOR HUMAN RADIOBIOLOGY STUDIES. DOCUMENTATION IN THE EARLY PERIOD EMPHASIZED THAT PLUTONIUM WAS NOT TO BE MENTIONED PUBLICLY PRIOR TO DECLASSIFICATION OF THE TERM AT THE END OF WORLD WAR II. IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT CONSENT BY THE PATIENT WAS PROBABLY RARELY OBTAINED AT THE TIME OF INJECTION. RATHER, DISCLOSURE WITH WITNESSES WAS MORE CUSTOMARY. THE AUTHOR ENDS THE REPORT WITH A NOTICEABLE STATEMENT. "THE NATURE OF THE STUDIES WAS TO BE SUPPRESSED TO AVOID EMBARRASSING PUBLICITY FOR THE AEC." THE AUTHOR ATTRIBUTES THIS STATEMENT TO CHR ADMINISTRATION AS ONE OF THE JUSTIFICATIONS FOR THE FAILURE OF THE CHR TO OBTAIN FULLY INFORMED CONSENT.