Karl Morgan — The Father of Health Physics
Karl Morgan was the founder of Health Physics, a discipline which approaches questions of radiation dose and effects primarily from a physical rather than a biological perspective. He was instrumental in showing that there is no safe dose of radiation. He resigned his position as Head of Health Physics at Oak Ridge in 1972 when he was ordered by his superiors to suppress information in his possession about the toxicity of plutonium. He subsequently worked as a private consultant on behalf of radiation victims, including Karen Silkwood. He believes that the offically-defined “permissible levels” of radiation are much higher than they should be.