EXPERIMENTAL PRODUCTION OF RADIATION CATARACTS BY FAST NEUTRONS

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Abstract
THE PRACTICAL problem of the accidental, and at times unavoidable, exposure of personnel to fast neutrons during the handling of fissionable material, as well as the possibility of more widespread exposure in time of war, stimulated this study. The objectives of these experiments were to determine the fast-neutron dose in dogs which after a single exposure would result in the development of lenticular cataracts and to determine whether a small neutron dose repeated at frequent intervals had a greater or less tendency to produce cataracts than a single larger dose. These studies have been in progress for three years, and the following report represents our findings during this preliminary period.METHODSDogs anesthetized with pentobarbital were rigidly positioned with the left eye closest to a directional beam of neutrons derived from a collimated 16 mev external deuteron beam striking a beryllium target 8 ft. (240 cm.) from the cyclotron. The

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