Radiation Instruments Available to Purchase

The radiation instrument industry, virtually nonexistent in 1946, had an annual business volume of approximately $20,000,000 and employed more than 2400 persons in 1952, according to a survey conducted by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. Growth of the new industry has paralleled development of the nation's atomic energy program since early 1947, when the AEC adopted a policy of encouraging its operating contractors to procure radiation instruments from commercial manufacturers. Before that time, security restrictions had required contractors to the Manhattan Engineer District, predecessor to the AEC, to design, develop, and produce their own radiation instruments.