3 ms·
The risks around radioactive materials were very poorly understood at the time, and were largely learned by lethal trial and error. The Manhattan Project was d
by BurningFrog 3y ago
The risks around radioactive materials were very poorly understood at the time, and were largely learned by lethal trial and error.
The Manhattan Project was done to end a war killing tens of thousands of people a day, which I think can defend some grim tradeoffs.
I won't claim all workers were well treated, but many scientists were also killed and injured in this learning process.
- rurban 3y agoThe risk was very much known, as all male miners died at about 45. It was called the miners disease. Eg the nazis promised the Jachimov miners to close it, so they won their support. When the Russians kept it going and expanded it, the risk was still known, and simple measures could have saved thousands of lives, but they didn't care.
- nonethewiser 3y agoMore importantly than that, where is the intent that proves racism? Any bad outcome for a minority does not mean there was racism.