title: The birth of UNSCEAR--the midwife's tale.
abstract: The creation in 1955 of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) was driven by the potential dangers of worldwide radioactive fall-out from the testing of nuclear bombs: both a cold war political issue and a complex radiological problem. Sir Raymond Appleyard was Secretary of the UNSCEAR Committee from 1956 to 1961, linking the Committee and its delegations with the UN as host institution and with the other members of the Committee's scientific staff. The present reflections are his purely personal views and memories of incidents and people during the Committee's formative years. They complement Dr David Sowby's earlier recollections (Sowby 2008 J. Radiol. Prot. 28 271-6).
authors.affiliation: rayandjoan@theappleyards.co.uk
authors.forename: Ray
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Appleyard
mesh_terms: D026683:Advisory Committees / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D007391:International Cooperation / Q000266:history*; D008880:Midwifery / Q000266:history; D009939:Organizations, Nonprofit / Q000266:history*; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000266:history*; D014480:United Nations / Q000266:history*