Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission publications

Collection

Call Number: Pam Coll 22

Scope and Contents

The collection includes publications and reprints about health and genetic effects of radiation exposure or about the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) published from 1952-1975. The majority of items were published by the ABCC, but the collection also includes items published by Japanese govenment entities and authors associated with the ABCC or Japan National Institute of Health (JNIH). The ABCC was created in 1946 by the United States National Research Council, Division of Medical Sciences, to conduct a long-term study of the health effects of radiation on the survivors of the atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. ABCC topics of research included hematology, radiation cataracts, incidence of leukemia and other cancers, genitourinary system disorders, aging and mortality rates, sex ratios and mortality rates of survivors' children, and genetics. Most materials are in English, with a few items written in Japanese and English.

Dates

1952 - 1975

Creator

Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright status for collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Provenance of items in the collection is unknown.

Arrangement

The collection is organized by date and author.

Extent

4 Linear Feet (2 boxes + 1 oversize folder)

Language of Materials

English

Japanese

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/med.pam.0022

Additional Description

Abstract

Biographical / Historical

The Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) was formed in 1946 in response to a directive by United States President Harry S. Truman to study the long-term health effects of radiation on the survivors of the atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. The ABCC was formed under the National Research Council's Division of Medical Sciences and initially consisted of five people who were sent to Japan to conduct a preliminary survey. In 1947 the ABCC was officially established to conduct a long-term study of survivors' medical and genetic health in the field. The ABCC worked in partnership with the Japan National Institute of Health (JNIH) and by 1950 employed more than 1,000 people in Japan, the majority of whom were Japanese citizens. The commission did not provide health care to survivors or their children.

The ABCC continued its' studies until 1975, when it was absorbed into the newly formed Radiation Effects Research Foundation, a private non-profit foundation jointly funded by the governments of the United States and Japan.

The ABCC's topics of research included hematology, radiation cataracts, incidence of leukemia and other cancers, genitourinary system disorders, aging and mortality rates, sex ratios and mortality rates of survivors' children, genetics, and other health factors impacted by radiation exposure. The commission published numerous reports, which were reprinted in scientific journals and scientists working for the ABCC and JNIH often published their own articles and reports related to ABCC research.