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Kodak's Fallout Radiation Dilemma
- Kodak's physicists discovered radioactive fallout damaged their film in 1951 without public announcement of nuclear tests.
- Their threat to sue the Atomic Energy Commission forced warnings before tests but required silence about fallout severity.
False Hope in Atomic Optimism
- Early Cold War Americans embraced atomic optimism, imagining radiation could produce new plants and cures.
- Radioisotopes promised cancer treatments but ultimately failed to deliver effective cures.
Baby Tooth Survey Reveals Fallout
- The Baby Tooth Survey collected children’s teeth to measure radioactive strontium-90 from fallout.
- This grassroots project revealed widespread contamination and challenged government claims about fallout safety.