Radiation Effects and Events Hub
Archives
Archives are an important place to preserve information, and many now have collections available online. Here, we highlight some archives in Houston, TX containing information related to radiation effects and events and provide a list of other archives related to this field.
Rice University Research Repository
The Rice University Research Repository holds both undergraduate and graduate research in a digital format. Of particular interest to the radiation effects and events work encapsulated here is former Rice University undergraduate student Sachi Khemka's 2020 collection of interviews housed on the site here. Please note that some interviews are co-stored at the TMC Library's Radiation Effects and Events Collection, found here. Khemka completed ten interviews with individuals involved in radiation effects and events in various ways.
TMC Library McGovern Center Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) Collections
The ABCC, or Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, was founded by the National Academy of Sciences at President Truman's directive in 1946 (Putnam 1988). Its aims included studying the impacts of the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the health of the Japanese populace. American physicians and scientists traveled to Japan to this end, cooperating with Japanese physicians and researchers to study radiation's effects. The TMC McGovern Center houses the ABCC Collections physically at its Historical Research Center (8272 El Rio, Suite 190, Houston, TX 77054), though many collections are also digitized and available for online exploration (click here for a list of helpful links).
TMC Library McGovern Center Radiation Effects & Events Collections
The Radiation Effects & Events Collections, housed at the TMC Library, comprise a variety of materials relating to radiation effects and events in various countries. Collections often have digital components available for viewing online, though others are only available for in person viewing. Several collections have been donated by individuals personally involved in work related to radiation effects and events.
Rice University DAHSHA
DAHSHA, or "Dialogues Across Health, Science, Humanities, and Archives," is a digital journal based at Rice University publishing work by scholars in a variety of fields, particularly relating to health, the sciences, and humanities.
Learn more here or visit their website for all collections.
Additional Archival Resources
Beyond the Texas Medical Center and Rice University, other global archives have collections devoted to radiation effects and events. Below please find a non-exhaustive list of archives to explore, with both physical and digital resources:
Includes a photo album, personal accounts of individuals involved in the ABCC and the RERF, and a list of articles written about the history of the ABCC and the RERF, among other relevant materials. This is especially helpful for studies related to the radiation effects in Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors. Many of these materials are available online.
Includes a timeline of nuclear history as well as primary sources on nuclear history and activism. Many of these materials are available online.
This collection includes correspondences and other meeting materials of the ABCC, as well as clippings about its activities in Japan from 1945-1982. There is material related to the RERF as well. These collections are physical; visit the site or email NASEMArchives@nas.edu for more information.
These files are not yet online, but they are physically accessible at the National Archives at College Park (8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD, 20740-6001). The identifier number is 482499.
This collection includes physical reports written by the ABCC and collected by Dr. Albert W. Hilberg, M.D., as well as digitized photographs of Hiroshima before and after the atomic bomb. Physical materials are part of the Special Collections and University Archives, stored at University of Maryland Libraries, Hornbake Library, 4130 Campus Drive, College Park Maryland.
This collection includes personal and professional papers of Dr. George Darling, ABCC director from 1957 to 1972. These are contained in the Manuscripts and Archives Repository (Sterling Memorial Library, Room 147, 120 High Street, New Haven, CT 06511). The collection also includes the Averill A. Liebow Collection, which contains photographs and reports created by the Joint Commission for the Investigation of the Effects of the Atomic Bomb. This collection is contained at the Medical Historical Library, Cushing/Whitney Medical Library Repository.
This comprehensive collection of digital resources includes information on arms control treaties, involved historical figures, a timeline of nuclear history, further web links, important historical documents, and more.
This collection includes the work of Alice Stewart, particularly regarding her work in epidemiology and effects of low level radiation. Specifically, part of the collection focuses on her correspondence with members of the RERF (formerly ABCC). These collections are only available in physical form to members of the Wellcome Library (183 Euston Rd, London NW1 2BE).
Material related to atomic bomb testing and nuclear events is dispersed throughout the collections. These materials are searchable online (here) but generally only accessible in person. Notable collections include the Walter Steiger papers and the Pacific Ephemera collection.
National Archives Harry S. Truman Library and Museum
The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb (Online Collection): Includes digitized correspondence, press releases, meeting notes, and more focused on the eventual decision to drop the atomic bomb.
This online archive contains nuclear research studies and documents about radiation technology. Other sections of this website detail the variety of research conducted at ORNL, including current nuclear and radiation research but spanning many fields.
The "Publications" section of this website offers access to publications and reports on the effects of atomic radiation. These publications may be searched by topic.
A website containing publications, historical documents, photographs, videos, and more related to atomic events. This site is especially helpful for new scholars in this field, as it has sections explaining the science of nuclear weapons, the history of their use, and interactive maps of where nuclear weapons and facilities are now.
Contains documents detailing the recommendations of the ICRP since 1959.
A collection of documents, photographs, and other records related to the United States government, including those on radiation effects.
The library of Congress contains a variety of searchable materials, both digital and physical, relating to radiation effects and events.
This physical archive located at the Vienna International Centre in Austria does not have online documents, but appointments are available for archive access.