National Affairs: Fallout in Los Angeles

Over a three-day period last week. Los Angeles' health officer, Dr. George Uhl. wondered and worried as his Geiger counters showed a steady rise in the atmosphere's radioactivity level. At midweek a brisk high-altitude wind, blowing from Nevada, brought radioactivity from a test shot above normal safety levels, sent Health Officer Uhl round to see Los Angeles' Mayor Norris Poulson. Poulson phoned the AEC in Washington, finally got through to AECommissioner Willard Libby, was assured that 1) the fallout level was not dangerous at all; 2) the Nevada test series was almost complete.

Newspapers got wind of what was up, and the...

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