Evaluation and Federal Rsponse to Radiation Induced Cancers Among Manhattan Era Nuclear Workers

The authors present a case study of one of the earliest Atomic Energy Commission/Department of Energy workforces and discuss the responsibilities and actions of the various federal agencies tasked with redressing the historical wrongs committed in the rush to develop nuclear weapons. The Department of Energy is responsible for implementing medical screenings for such workers. The Department of Labor is responsible for implementation of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program for claims of radiation induced cancers, Beryllium lung disease and other occupational toxicoses. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is responsible for performing dose reconstructions and calculating probabilities of causation for cases of possible radiation induced cancer. The Ames Laboratory was one of the highest radiologic exposure work groups of any DOE facility. . Workers at the Ames Lab refined and processed thousands of pounds of Uranium and Thorium between 1942 and 1955 as part of the Manhattan Project and subsequent Cold War. Significant risks were experienced from exposures to Thorium, Uranium, Plutonium and other radionuclides as well as Beryllium at this site. Working with only rudimentary engineering controls, without personal protection or radiation monitoring these workers experienced dramatic radionuclide exposures. Historical process and exposure data, clinical vignettes and the results of medical screenings will be presented to describe the experiences of this community of workers with the various federal agencies involved.