The Michigan Daily-Saturday; May 5, 1979-Page 7
Radiation-indueed cancer
ST.
People
munity
living i
from a
The
mission
device
boring
1960s,
floaltin
Near
than $1
Depart
by peo
radioa
leukem
"THI
but th
ways,"
local C
Anders
"This
to beau
but ma
anxieti
the fall
"Gen
tion he
Corpor
distribu
as Flor
out wh
held."
"I R]
man in
here. H
Los An
was le
fall-out
here fro
He s
legislat
objectiv
low-lyin
greater
United
But, h
radioac
town's l
PEOF
governn
cer and
Residents of old nuclear testing site suffer
Last in a three-part series Anderson and other business represen- open. "CAN YOU IMAGINE the outcry if
-(tatives who have expressed similar "IT WAS LIKE the opening of old this fall-out had landed on Los Angeles?
GEORGE, Utah (Reuter) fears as "imports." wounds in the town," she said. "A lot of There would have been battles in the
ar this s all Mormon com- "They weren't around when the fall- people lost children and a lot of young streets. Maybe we should have got
n are still payioatie fIt out was coming down harming the men died." nasty here, but we are very patriotic
tomic test explosions, people and the government was Reaction to the case differs sharply in people."
keeping silent about the dangers," said this town of 16,000 people where one of The "D" on the hillside stands for
former Atomic Energy Com- Irma Thomas, a 72-year-old housewife. the first questions a visitor is asked is Dixie, the name given by the Mormon
n tested more than 80 atomic Anderson said the facts suggested "Are you LDS?"-a member of the settlers to this hot, dusty corner of the
s in the atmosphere in neigh- very strongly there was a link between Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day state because it was their "South" and
Nevadai r the 1950s and the the atomic tests and cancer cases. "I Saints, or Mormons. they also grew cotton here.
sending radioactive red clouds The Salt Lake Tribune, in an editorial
ig over this town. last week, asked readers to consider the
'ly 650 legal suits, claiming more times and circumstances under which
billion in compensation from the {'the tests were conducted.
ment of Energy, have been filed It was Icky' the' op'ning of old wounds in th' town. THE NEWSPAPER pointed out that
ple in this area, alleging the A o n lost ehildr n and a lot of yon Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were
ctive fall-out caused cancer, P lroexecuted on June 19, 1953, for espionage
ia, and other related diseases. m>n div',d.' involving the stealing of atomic secrets.
ESE ARE tragic circumstances The Korean War ended the same
e town also suffers in other -Irma Thomas, St. 'oeorgi> r'sid'nt year, the newspaper pointed out.
the executive director of the "During such times when nuclear
hamber of Commerce, Arthur weapons, though recognized as fear-
on, said here. am extremely sensitive to the needs of some, were eagerly sought to 'stay
s is a vacation town, the gateway the people in these tragic circumstan- The woman who runs Squyres Prin- ahead of' the Soviet Union and deter its
utiful state and national parks, ces," he said. ting Shop next to the post office asked a possible intervention in the Korean
ny, many people have expressed FEDERAL OFFICIALS have in- question put by a number of people: War, it is remarkable that the old
es about coming here because of sisted there is no evidence to link the How will anyone who tries to settle the Atomic Energy Commission and the
-out," he said. number of cancer deaths to the atomic compensation claim be able to tell a Army were as careful as they were in
eral Motors planned a conven- tests. person who4died of cancer because of conducting the Nevada tests."
re of mobile home enthusiasts. A deputy assistant general counsel to radioactive fall-out from one.who died BUT THE NEWSPAPER said
'ate officials told me eight the Department of Health, Welfare and of cancer from other causes? mistakes were made and legitimate
itprs, including one as far away Education (HEW), Donald Gonya, told SOME OTHER people in the town victims should be identified and com-
ida, cancelled when they found a congressional committee in Las have suggested the suits were part of a pensated.
ere the convention was to be Vegas last month: get-rich scheme by lawyers. "This can be done without implying
"Scientific uncertainty-makes it very . A man sitting in a bar with a bottle of sinister motives and callous disregard
ECENTLY had a letter from a difficult to calculate even a probability Scotch-under state law a customer to safety on the part of those charged
Los Angeles who wanted to live that a particular illness is radiation- brings his own Scotch and buys the with making fateful decisions in a less
e later told me he was staying in induced." ice-looked in the direction of a giant suspicious age," the newspaper con-
geles because the smog there THOMAS AND A local lawyer, J. "D" marked on a hill overlooking the cluded.
ss dangerous than radioactive MacArthur Wright, who is involved in town and said, "There are some gover- There was a firemen's parade in St.
said Anderson, who came filing the local claims for compen- nment officials who think that 'D' stan- George last week. One of the floats
m California five years ago. sation, have maintained the Atomic ds for dumb. carried a dummy smoking in bed.
aid members of the Nevada Energy Commission did not reveal "These officials looked towards Las Above him was a sign which read:
ure had obtained reports from enough information to warn the people Vegas and they looked towards Califor- "Smoking in bed cures cancer."
ve scientists saying the level of of the dangers of fall-out. nia and they decided the only time they A woman, who said three members of
ig radiation here today was no Thomas said she counted 29 people would stage those tests was when the her family had died of cancer, asked:
than anywhere else in the who died of cancer, leukemia, and wind was blowing in our direction "How can some people forget so
States. similar diseases within a radius of 300 because there aren't so many of us. easily?"
ie na , -e.puuiicity ..,..4.. ,, - over.,,,.., t.._tne-.----
me addedl, the publicity over the
tive fall-out could damage the
ivelihood.
PLE WHO have fought to obtain
ment compensation for the can-
leukemia victims here dismiss
yars of her home in the last few years.
Thomas, who during the past 18 mon-
ths has written letters to President Car-
ter, congressmen, doctors, and scien-
tists about the fall-out, said she feared
at first bringing the matter into the
Local health boards to
expand outpatient services
LANSING (UPI)-Michigan's placed in nursing homes and adult
community mental health boards have foster care homes.
been assigned primary responsibility
for expanding follow-up services to help PATIENTS RELEASED since
adults released flom the state's mental January, 1976, are covered by a
hospitals, it was announced yesterday. previous agreement.
New agreements signed by the state Starting in June, county welfare and
public health, mental health, and social public health officials will survey the
services directors cover patients needs of former patients in their area,
released before January, 1976, and stressing those most in need of care.
JOHN HUSTON'S 1941
THE MALTESE FALCON
Brigid (MARY ASTOR): "I haven't lived a good life, I've been bad." Sam
(HUMPHREY BOGART): "You're good, you're very good." Sam Spape,
tough hard-boiled dick that he is, tangles with the fat man (SIDNEY GREEN-
STREET) and the nervous guy (PETER LORRE). Impressive cinematic of
director John Huston.
Sun: MR. HULOT'S HOLIDAY (Free at 8:00 only)
Look for Cinema Guild Spring-Summer schedules
TONIGHT AT OLD ARCH AUD
CINEMA GUILD 7:30&9:30 $1.50
1978
ROERTTTA A WEDDING -17
ANN ARBOR PREMIERE! With a deft satiric jab, Altman dissects America's
most sacred ritual: the wedding ceremony. The result is wickedly funny
comedy; Altman explores-and exposes-the secrets of 48 hilariously un-
forgettable characters. All star cast includes such comedy greats as CAROL
BURNETT, LILLIAN GISH, GERALDINE CHAPLIN, MIA FARROW, LAUREN
HUTTON, and DESI ARNAZ, JR. "The entertainment sparkles."-Judith Crist.
(125 min.)
Sun-Truffaut's JULES & JIM
TONITE AT ANGELL HALL, AUD. A
7:30 & 9:45 $1.50
Te ArnArbovr FimCoo erelkyeBPresents at MLB 3-- $1.50
SATURDAY, MAY S
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
(ElioKazan, 1951) 7only-MLS3
The genius of Tennessee Williams is brought strikingly to the screen by Kazan,
Brando and cast. With his performance as the brutish Stanley Kowalski,
Brando established his position in the pantheon of actors, and Vivien Leigh's
award-winning portrayal of Blanche Dubois is equally good, evoking horror
and pity. Intense and passionate, this is one of the most successful "films of a
play" ever made. MARLON BRANDO, VIVIEN LEIGH, KARL MALDEN, KIM
HUNTER.
ON THE WATERFRONT
(Elio Kazan, 1954) 9 only-MLB 3
MARLON BRANDO gives one of the towering performances in the history of
film as a young worker on the fringe of the underworld. An uncompromising
film about labor union corruption, it graphically evokes the brutality of the
Jersey docks. Flawless supporting cost: KARL MALDEN, LEE J. COBB, EVA
MARIE SAINT. Seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director,
Actor. Music by Leondard Bernstein.
TUESDAY: FREE admission to Renior's
LA BETE HUMAINE and LA GRANDE ILLUSION