Murray's Bill to Help Hanford Workers Suffering from Toxic Beryllium Exposure Included in Must-Pass National Defense Authorization Act

Press Release

"During World War II, the federal government established the Hanford site in Central Washington state to produce the plutonium that our nation needed for nuclear weapons. To this day, workers are on the job cleaning up that site. It's important--but dangerous--work. And one of those dangers is beryllium exposure that causes serious respiratory diseases. Congress passed legislation providing care to those working on our nuclear arsenal--but here's the thing: not everyone who needs these critical medical benefits for beryllium exposure can get them today. Right now, people have to jump through very costly, unnecessary hoops, and even then they could be denied--all because the statute is outdated.

Right now, a beryllium blood test that is "borderline' does not count towards a diagnosis--even when you are experiencing the effects of beryllium exposure, or when it is your third such borderline result. That is just not right--and by the way, it is not consistent with the current science either! My amendment would update the statute--and bring it in line with an OSHA rule finalized under the last Administration--so that more workers can more easily get the care they need. And it is a fiscally responsible measure--CBO estimates it will cost less than half a million dollars over ten years, if anything at all. But it will make a real difference for these workers who have sacrificed so much for our country."

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