Mutagenic chemical pollution and the rad-equivalent system

For over twenty years pollution from radiation has been governed by restrictive rules drawn up and periodically revised by an international committee, and adopted by the laws of practically every country. Nothing of this kind exists for pollution by chemical mutagens. Since these substances affect the genetic material in the cells, with reactions often very similar to those caused by radiation the idea occurred of drawing up 'rad-equivalents' for the most important of these substances, based on these similarities. It would then be possible to: extrapolate the rules accepted for radiation; totalise mutagenic pollution and control it as a whole. The article raises this problem and discusses the conditions which must be met if rad-equivalence is to have any meaning. Finally, it gives a few examples of isolated equivalents already established and the first practical results that can be drawn from this