Inequalities in the Nuclear Age

The Civil Rights Movement opened jobs previously inaccessible to women and people of color. Unfortunately, these workers were sometimes placed in more dangerous positions than their Caucasian, male counterparts. Few quantitative studies have explored the relationship between changes in employment demographics and hazardous occupational exposures among people of color and women. This study compares radiation exposure of African Americans versus Caucasians of both sexes, and female versus male workers of all races to discover the effects on exposure of female and African American workers moving into jobs traditionally held by Caucasian males. Demographic, employment history, and radiation dosimetry information are examined for a cohort of 18,883 workers hired between 1950 and 1986, at Savannah River Site nuclear weapons facility in South Carolina. Regression models are used to assess differences in radiation exposures over time by race and gender, accounting for pay status, job title, and work location. 19% of the cohort is female and 13% is African American. Average doses were higher for men (217.7 millirem, mrem) than women (73.1 mrem). However, the mean dose for women increased in the 1970s when average dose for men was decreasing. Average radiation doses for African Americans (169.7 mrem) are lower than that for Caucasian workers (206.2 mrem); however, after 1972, average doses for African American workers were consistently higher. This study's results inform understanding of the impact of historical changes in the division of labor on occupational exposure and suggest consideration of strategies to prevent future overburden of exposure in vulnerable populations.