Cantwell Wins Review of Former Hanford Worker Benefits Status
Cantwell Wins Review of Former Hanford Worker Benefits Status
Thursday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) applauded the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for their decision to review the benefits available to former Hanford workers. Cantwell requested the review in a letter sent to NIOSH on October 3 after reading an audit of available radiation exposure data. In a letter to Cantwell, NIOSH committed to discussing the audit's findings and re-evaluating the benefits status of former Hanford workers at their January meeting in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
"This is the right decision," said Cantwell. "Right now, we don't know the full extent of workers' exposure to toxins. We need to review the situation to make sure all former Hanford employees get the help they need. Some of these workers have waited years for help. Without this review, we might wrongly deny worker's compensation to thousands of deserving individuals who have already waited too long."
Cantwell urged the agency's Advisory Board to review the status of former Hanford workers following an audit suggesting that a possible deficiency in data on worker radiation exposure between 1944 and 1968 may lead officials to underestimate exposure levels. The audit, prepared by S. Cohen & Associates (SC&A, Inc.) for the NIOSH Advisory Board and released in June, reviewed the Hanford site profile, a case history of activities at the Hanford nuclear facility, and found several instances where thousands of workers may be eligible for Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) status. SEC status would make former employees automatically eligible for workers' compensation.
Specifically, the June report by SC&A, Inc. found potentially significant exposures of reactor workers to unmeasured neutrons and unplanned airborne releases of radionuclides. The report also noted inconsistencies over time in recording worker radiation exposure, and insufficient measurements taken for internal exposure to recycled uranium. Insufficient or inconsistent data could make it impossible to determine the actual exposure level of former workers through dose reconstruction. Without dose reconstruction, SEC status would be former workers' only hope of compensation for their work related injuries or illnesses.
http://cantwell.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=249051&&