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To the Editor.
—Congratulations for the article entitled "Psychological Aspects of the Nuclear Arms Race" in the December Archives (1982;142:2262-2263). I have trouble trusting our Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the following reasons. Could our general accounting office or the inspector general of the armed services investigate the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and give the public a report?
Military secrecy.—Some of this information must be classified for a time. However, information discovered in 1945 is probably known by the Russians. Is military classification being used to conceal mistakes?
Iodine 129.—This isotope has a half-life of 16 million years (twice as long as it took the Lord to form the Grand Canyon). How much of this is released into our atmosphere with each atomic blast? Will there be an increase in thyroid cancer?
Sodium 40.—This isotope has a half-life of 1 billion, 300 million years. How will its release affect our earth?
Three