Cage 767

Sidney Marks

Papers, 1946-1988

Acquisition And Processing Information

The Sidney Marks papers were donated to the Washington State University libraries in 2006 by Ronald Kathren as part of the Herbert M. Parker Special Library Collections (MS 2006-07). The collection was processed by Lee Ann Powell in 2011.

Extent/Quantity Information

Number of containers: 21

Linear feet of shelf space: 10.5

Biography

Sidney Marks was born in Chicago, Illinois on June 28, 1918. He initially trained as a medical doctor with a specialty certification in human pathology. He received his medical degree in 1942 from the University of Illinois and obtained a board certification in pathology in 1947. He worked as a pathologist for the Veterans Administration Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico from 1947 to 1948, and in 1950 he moved to Richland, Washington.

In Richland, he worked both at Kadlec Hospital and at General Electric Hanford's Biology Laboratory. His work at Hanford cultivated a new interest in the effects of low-level radiation exposure and inspired him to further his education. In 1961, he earned a Master of Science degree in physics from the University of Idaho and a Ph.D. in biostatistics at the University of California Los Angeles in 1970.

His dual skills in medicine and biostatistics, along with his keen interest in radiation, led Dr. Marks to a long and productive career with the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), the Energy Research Development Administration (ERDA, predecessor of the Department of Energy), and the U.S. Department of Energy Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

In 1971, after several years in graduate school and an appointment as associate professor at University of Maryland Medical School, Marks joined the Atomic Energy Commission's Division of Biology and Medicine (later the ERDA). He served as the agency's coordinator of human studies and biostatistics until 1976. While in this position he worked with the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC), oversaw health physics studies and radiobiology of uranium studies, and was involved in the highly controversial epidemiologic study of Hanford workers commonly known as the Mancuso study.

In 1976, Marks left the ERDA and returned to Richland to accept a position as program manager for epidemiological studies at Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Program. Dr. Marks was instrumental in the creation of the United States Uranium Registry and the development of standard for uranium exposure.

Collection Description

These papers document Sidney Marks's professional activities as a research scientist with a special expertise in the health effects of radiation. The collection includes reports, scientific data, correspondence, printed materials, and literature relating to Marks's professional activities.

• Series 1: The Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC), 1940s-1970s

  This series includes reports, correspondence, and documents related to Dr. Marks's trip to Japan as part of the ABCC.

• Series 2: The Conference and Symposia files, 1970s-1980s

  This series contains correspondence, programs, meeting notes, and papers from the conferences, symposia, and courses attended by Dr. Marks. These include the Heath Physics Society annual meeting, the National Council on Radiation, Department of Energy meetings and workshops, and the American College of Nuclear Medicine.

• Series 3: The Hanford Mortality Study, 1970s-1980

  This series documents Dr. Marks's deep involvement in the controversy that erupted over the study, primarily conducted by Dr. Thomas F. Mancuso. Dr. Mancuso was an epidemiologist contracted by the AEC in 1965 to study the long-term effects of low dose radiation exposure in nuclear bomb workers. In the mid-1970s, Mancuso's contract with the AEC was terminated. His termination led to much controversy within the nuclear community, among radiation scholars, and in popular press. Dr. Marks was Mancuso's AEC supervisor and took over the study after Mancuso was fired. The collection includes correspondence, Congressional testimony, drafts of the study, documentation of related research, and much of the literature surrounding the controversy and results of the Hanford Mortality Study.

• Series 4: The Assurance Program for Remedial Action Project (APRA), 1980

  This series includes a description of the project, correspondence, and reports. Marks served as one of the principal investigators for this project. Conducted at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Battelle Memorial Institute, the purpose of this project was to provide technical support and assistance to the Department of Energy's Office of Operation Safety in implementing its Assurance Program for Remedial Action. Marks and his associates provided review, technical support and advice to the Operational Safety staff in developing the procedural and technical content of the APRA, including Quality Assurance reviews and appraisals, radiological dose criteria evaluations and recommendations, and risk assessment reviews and appraisals.

• Series 5: Subject files, 1960-1980s

  Much of the material in the Subject Files series consists of literature dedicated to Dr. Marks's professional interest in the health effects of long term low dose radiation exposure both natural and manmade and the controversies surrounding this highly debated issue.

Collection Arrangement

The collection is arranged in 5 series reflecting Sidney Marks's original order.

Subjects

Scientists – Archives

Radiation – Health aspects – Research

Radiation – Dosage – Research

Radiation carcinogenesis – Research

Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission

Access

This collection is open and available for research use. Copyright restrictions apply.

Preferred Citation

The suggested citation for the collection is:

[Item Description]

Sidney Marks Papers, 1946-1988

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections

Washington State University Libraries

Pullman, WA

Languages

Most materials in the collection are in English, with a few items in German and Japanese.

Container List:

Box	Folder	Description
		Series 1: Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, 1940s-1970s
1	1	Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes, 1961 and 1962
	2	Program Review, 1962
	3	History of Commission Development, 1963 and 1967
	4	Report on Future of the Commission
	5	Miscellaneous correspondence, 1959-1968
	6-7	Research and Register Protocols, 1964-1973
	8	Administrative Flow Chart, 1968
	9	Commission Reorganization, 1968-1975
	10	National Academy of Sciences Review of Commission, 1975
	11-12	Annual and Semi-Annual Reports, 1950-1955
2	13-16	Annual and Semi-Annual Reports, 1950-1955
	17-18	Annual Reports, 1968-1972
3	19-20	Annual Reports, 1968-1972
	21	Manhattan Engineer District (report on atomic bombings), undated
	22	Report on Hiroshima bombing, undated
	23	Casualties and Damages Report (atomic bombings), 1952
	24	Atomic Energy Commission Reports on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (bombing affects), 1963 and 1966
	25	ABCC Technical Reports (health of atomic bomb survivors), 1954, 1964, 1976-1978, 1982
	26	Naval Reports (Marshall Island and Nagasaki skin burn victims; and yield of Hiroshima weapon), 1955 and 1965
4	27-28	Civil Defense Report (analysis of Japanese casualty data), 1966
	29	Atomic Bomb Survivors in the United States (correspondence and press clippings), 1972 and 1974
	30	Bibliography of Publications Concerning Effect of Nuclear Explosions, 1960 and 1961
	31	Comparison of Skeletal Maturation with Dental Status in Children (article manuscript copy), 1953
	32	Darling, George (correspondence), 1969-1972
	33	Declassified documents on the effects of the Atomic Bombs in Japan (report), 1965
	34	Delayed Consequences of Exposure to Ionizing Radiation (symposium articles), 1971
	35	Division of Biology and Medicine (correspondence), 1962-1972
	36	Dunham, Charles (correspondence), 1962 and 1970
	37	Epidemiology of Lung Cancer (article manuscript copy), 1974
	38	Goldstein, Joseph (International Congress of Radiology trip report), 1969
	39-40	Health and Atomic Bomb Survivors (reports and studies), 1962-1986 and undated
5	41	Hiroshima University (bibliography of research papers by science faculty), 1985
	42	Hole, David (correspondence), 1986
	43	Impact of Atomic Energy Industry on Community Health (report), 1955
	44	Japan Trip (trip report by John B. Storer), 1968
	45	Japan Trip (trip report by R.L. Hays), 1971
	46	Japan Trip (schedule, Marks meeting notes, ticket stubs, receipts, reports, press clipping), 1975
	47	Japanese press (English translations of atomic bomb related articles), 1960
	48-49	Japan Science Promotion Society (report), 1953
	50	Kyogikai for the Adult Health Study (meeting minuets), 1963
	51	Kyoto University (brochure), 1956
	52	Radiation Effects Research Foundation (report on cancer mortality in bomb survivors and newsletters), 1982 and 1985
	53	Royal Society of London Explosive Yields at Hiroshima and Nagasaki (report), 1970
	54	Typical Japanese dwelling (specifications and design blueprints), 1956
	55	Marshall Islands (correspondence and press clippings), 1974
	56	National Academy of Sciences (budget and correspondence), 1970 and 1972
	57	Problems of Measurement of Aging in the Human Population (report), 1972
6	58	Radioactive Dust from Nuclear Detonation (report), 1954
	59-62	U.S. Strategic Bomb Survey of Physical Damages (report), 1946
	63-64	U.S. Strategic Bomb Survey Heath and Medical Services and Japanese Wartime Standard of Living (reports), 1947
		Series 2: Conference and Symposia Files, 1970s-1980s
	65	Human genetics course materials (University of Washington), 1976
	66	Conference on radiation associated thyroid carcinoma (program), 1976
	67	Department of Energy meeting and workshop on oil shale (press clipping, registration list, and introductory comments by Marks), 1977
	68-69	Symposium on the late biological effects of ionizing radiation (program, correspondence, report 1978
7	70	Heath Physics Society annual meeting (newsletters, programs, abstracts, and notes), 1976 and 1978
	71	Department of Energy statistical symposium (program), 1980
	72	Radon Specialists meeting (notes, abstracts, and correspondence), 1980
	73	Hazards to the fetus course materials (University of Washington), 1980
	74	American College of Nuclear Medicine annual meeting (program, abstracts, and correspondence), 1980
	75	Department of Energy health and mortality studies review meeting (agenda), 1980
	76	Environ Metrics symposium (program and correspondence), 1981 and 1982
	77	Radiation hazards in mining meeting (contact lists and notes), 1981
	78	American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting (program, correspondence, and notes), 1981 and 1982
	79	International symposium on biomedical effects of ozone (program), 1982
	80	Department of Energy radiation epidemiology contractors' workshop (correspondence and presentation), 1982
	81-82	National Council on Radiation (correspondence, reports, annual meeting programs), 1979-1988
8	83	National Council on Radiation (continued)
		Series 3: The Hanford Mortality Study, 1970s-1980
	84	Argonne National Laboratory (mortality study), 1959
	85-89	Mancuso, Thomas F. (correspondence, reports, testimony, presentations, article manuscript copies), 1965, 1970-1984
	90	Project feasibility study, 1966
9	91-92	Retrospective and data acquisition report, 1969
	93-98	Mancuso progress report (numbers 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10), 1970-1974
10	99-100	Mancuso progress reports (numbers 11 and 13), 1975 and 1977
	101-102	Stewart, Alice (correspondence, reports, and article manuscript copies), 1970-1978
	103	Radiation protection standards, 1971
	104	Sanders, Barkev S. (article manuscript copies), 1971 and 1972
	105	Medical Research Council (Robin H. Mole correspondence), 1974-1982
	106	Blot, William J. (letter to Marks), 1975
	107-108	Gilbert, Ethel S. (article manuscript copies), 1975-1985
11	109	National Radiological Protection Board (correspondence, bulletins, press release), 1976-1985
	110-111	Marks, Sidney (article manuscript copies, project status report, press briefings, narrative of his involvement with the project and the Mancuso controversy, and correspondence), 1976-1984
	112	British Nuclear Fuels (Geoff B. Schofield correspondence and obituary) 1976-1985
	113	Milham, Samuel (article manuscript copy and evaluation by Mancuso team), 1976
	114	John Abbotts and the Public Interest Research Group (letter from Battelle and requested documents), 1976
	115-116	Press clippings 1976-1979, 1981, 1985, and undated
	117	Project history, 1977, 1983, and undated
	118	Anderson, Terrence (correspondence and review of Mancuso), 1977 and 1979
	119	Tamplin, Arthur (testimony before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission), 1977
12	120	Brodsky, Allen (article manuscripts copies, correspondence, and testimony before the House Sub-Committee on Health and the Environment), 1977-1979, 1982
	121	Mancuso report critiques, 1977 and 1978
	122	Essays on nuclear power in the Northwest by Evergreen State College students, 1978
	123-124	The Windscale Inquiry Volumes 1 and 2 (British nuclear industry environment and health report), 1978
	125	National Radiation Protection Board review of Mancuso, 1978 and 1979
	126	British Nuclear Fuels (Eddie Clough correspondence and reports), 1978, 1979, 1982-1984
	127	Atomic Energy Research Establishment (A. Norman Stott correspondence), 1978
	128	Leukemia and radiation (reports), 1978 and 1988
	129	Canadian Mortality Study (reports and correspondence), 1979, 1981, 1984
13	130-131	Canadian Mortality Study (continued)
	132-133	Advisory Committee (correspondence and reports), 1980-1985
	134	Culham Laboratory (William M. Lomer correspondence), 1980 and 1986
	135	United Kingdom Energy Authority (correspondence and reports on the United Kingdom Atomic Energy mortality study) 1980-1986
	136	Federal Radiation Research Activities House Subcommittee hearing testimony (Robert Alvarez, William Harpin, George Hutchinson, and Seymour Jablon), 1982
	137	Radiation and life expectancy, 1957, 1982, 1983
	138	Presentations on radiation, 1983
	139	Peer review, 1983
14	140	Energy-Related Health Research annual report, 1983
	141	Briefings and memoranda, 1984
	142	Radiostrontium report, 1984
	143	Three Mile Island (review of dose estimates), 1984
	144	Risk assessment briefing, 1985
	145	Alvarez, Robert (Alvarez report and comments by Marks), 1985 and 1986
	146	British Nuclear Fuels Sellafield plant (mortality study), 1982
	147	Petersen, Gerald (correspondence), 1986
	148	Epidemiology presentation, 1988
	149	Human health studies presentation, undated
	150	Animal radiation studies (Marks and others), undated
	152	Atomic Industrial Forum critique of Mancuso, undated
	153-154	Mortality study literature (index, abstracts, and articles resulting from or about the study), 1976-1982
15	155-156	Mortality study literature (continued)
	157	Slides and index 1976, 1980, 1982-1984
	158	Miscellaneous, 1963 and undated
		Series 4: Assurance Program for Remedial Action Project, 1980
	159	Utah State Department of Health (correspondence with Marks and others), 1979-1984
	160	Project files (distribution lists, memos, field task proposals and agreements, resumes, property reports, literature bibliography), 1981-1984
	161-164	Salt Lake City (radon screening results, seasonal radon levels, remedial action priorities, floor plans and maps), 1981, 1982, and undated
16	165-168	Salt Lake City (projected excess cancer rates and health effects estimations for properties), 1983 and undated
	169	Uranium mines emission standards, 1982 and 1985
	170	Durango (health effects estimation for properties), 1983
	171	Radon in mill tailings presentation, 1983
	172	Description of procedures used in estimating health effects, 1983
	173	Estimation of daily food consumption (letter and report), 1983 and 1984
	174	Health effects of radon in mill tailings (correspondence and literature related to Marks's review article), 1984
	175	Uranium mill tailings and risk estimation presentation, 1984
17	176	Risk assessment for remedial action, 1985
	177	Indoor air quality research strategy, 1985
	178	United Nations risk assessment of radiation, 1986
	179	Statistical methods for assessing environmental carcinogens risk, undated
	180	Uranium industry statistics and papers (microfiche), 1976, 1977, 1983
		Series 5: Subject Files, 1960-1980s
	181	Andreas, George (correspondence), 1982
	182	Brazilian regions of high natural radioactivity (article manuscript copies), 1963
	183	Bertell, Rosalie (article manuscript copy), 1976-1978, and 1985
	184	Bertell and Bross (correspondence), 1972-1976
	185	Biomedical and environmental research chronology, 1973
	186	Bross, Irwin D.J. (article manuscript copy), 1976
	187-188	Canada (health studies of uranium miners and atomic workers), 1983-1985, and 1987
	189	Colorado Energy Research Institute (letter), 1983
18	190	Energy production (comparative risks analysis), undated
	191	Hanford (press clippings and photographs), 1979 and 1985
	192	Fallout (map and literature), 1955 and 1968
	193	General Electric (corporate research and development), 1981
	194	Glossary of radiation terms, undated
	195	India (natural high levels of radiation), 1956-1973 and undated
	196	Indoor air quality (literature), 1987
	197	Ionizing radiation (literature), 1956, 1961, and undated
	198	Kathren, Ronald (radiation and health physics presentation), 1986 and undated
	199	Lilienfeld paper (Marks's notes), undated
	200	Los Alamos (AEC study of plutonium workers), 1973
	201	Low level radiation (literature), 1979, 1980, and undated
19	202	Lung dosimetry (literature), 1964-1985 and undated
	203	Lyon, J. Lyn (Marks review of leukemia study), 1978 and 1979
	204	Meyer, Mary (critique of paper), 1970
	205	National Council on Radiation Protection (comments on Federal Register), 1980
	206	Natural radiation and health, (literature) 1979
	207	New Mexico uranium miners (literature), 1978 and undated
	208	Nonmalignant respiratory diseases in miners (literature), undated
	209	Niue Island (map, geological survey, and correspondence) 1959
	210	Oak Ridge Associated Universities (newsletter), 1983
	211	Pacific Northwest Laboratory (correspondence and reports), 1982-1986
	212	Pre-natal radiation (literature), 1973 and 1974
	213	Press clippings (radiation and human health), 1981-1986
	214	Radiation health risks (literature), 1982, 1983, and 1984
	215	Radon (conference papers, literature, Germany, human health risk, inside dwellings, and miscellaneous), 1973-1988 and undated
20	216-224	Radon (continued)
	225	Risk analysis and energy sources (speech, literature, and presentation outline), 1979, 1984, 1985, and undated
	226	Risks associated with nuclear power (National Academy of Science report), 1979
	227	Shale oil (presentation outline), undated
	228	Sharpe, William (article manuscript copies), undated
	229	South Africa (lung cancer in miners), 1971 and 1980
	230	Testicular function and radiation (literature), 1974
	231	Unidentified photograph [Marks and others?], undated
	232	United Nation Scientific Committee on Effects of Radiation (reports), 1977-1981
	233-234	Uranium miners and radiation (literature) 1969, 1978, 1984
	253	Uranium miner regression study, 1976