National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Special Exposure Cohort Petition Status Updates

Charles Nelson, MS

DCAS SEC Team Lead

Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health, 147th Meeting

Teleconference| August 18, 2022
Purpose

 Update to the petitioners, general public, and the Advisory Board 

on Radiation and Worker Health (Advisory Board)

 Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) summary of petitions

– in qualification

– under evaluation

– currently under Advisory Board review

– potential SEC petitions (83.14)
Summary

 Petitions received – 259

a

– In qualification process – 1b

– Qualified for evaluation – 153

– New Evaluations in progress – 0

– Evaluations completed – 153

 Reports with the Advisory Board – 11

 Petitions not qualifying for evaluation – 105

a

Includes 5 petitions received prior to the issuance of the SEC regulation.

bA New SEC Petition was received and is currently on hold awaiting employment verification and a 

determination by the petitioner which facility they are petitioning for.
SEC Petitions under Evaluation

 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 1990-1995

– Livermore, CA

– Petition SEC-0221

– Addendum to address remaining years for all employees

– The NIOSH team is currently coordinating with the site to 

schedule on-site data captures.

– NIOSH will provide an update to the LLNL WG members once 

any dates for a site visit(s) are coordinated with the site.
Under Advisory Board Review (1/8)

 Hanford (SEC-0057) – All SEC issues are closed except those related 

to current ongoing co-exposure modeling efforts

 Savannah River Site (SEC-0103) – NIOSH is working to resolve issues 

raised by Sanford Cohen & Associates (SC&A) and the Work Group

– NIOSH is responding to five issues raised by SC&A in their review 

of RPRT-0092

 Sandia National Laboratory – Albuquerque (SEC-0188) – This SEC is 

to be discussed in this AB meeting.
Under Advisory Board Review (2/8)

 Los Alamos National Laboratory (SEC-0109) – NIOSH working to 

resolve issues raised by Sanford Cohen & Associates (SC&A) and the 

Work Group

– The LANL WG met on 03/23/22 NIOSH Presented: 

• ORAUT-RPRT-0102, Assessment of Los Alamos National 

Laboratory Plutonium Bioassay Programs 1996 to 2001

• ORAUT-RPRT-0101, Bounding Intakes of Exotic Radionuclides 

at Los Alamos National Laboratory

– After WG discussion SC&A was assigned to review both Report 

101 and 102
Under Advisory Board Review (3/8)

 Idaho National Lab (SEC-0219) - NIOSH is working to resolve issues 

raised by SC&A and the work group. An update by DCAS is 

scheduled to be provided in this AB meeting.

 Argonne National Laboratory West (SEC-0224) - NIOSH is working to 

resolve issues raised by SC&A and the work group. An update by 

DCAS is scheduled to be provided in this AB meeting.
Under Advisory Board Review (4/8)

 Area IV Santa Susanna (SEC-0235) - NIOSH is waiting on records to 

be released from the records center and the record center to allow 

visitors 

– The DOE record center EMCBC is open but restricting visitor 

access at this time. 

– In the meantime, EMCBC has been digitizing records and 

sending them to DCAS for review.
Under Advisory Board Review (5/8)

 Metals and Controls (SEC-0236) – With the M&C Work Group 

– SC&A completed a review of the NIOSH proposed dose 

reconstruction approach

– NIOSH responded to the issues in the SC&A review

– A WG meeting is expected to be scheduled in the near future
Under Advisory Board Review (6/8)

 De Soto Avenue Facility (SEC-0246) - NIOSH is working to provide 

clarification on a remaining issues 

– The DOE record center EMCBC is open but restricting visitor 

access at this time. 

– In the meantime, EMCBC has been digitizing records and 

sending them to DCAS for review.
Under Advisory Board Review (7/8)

 Y-12 Plant (SEC-0250) - Addendum to the ER was presented in the 

August 2021 AB meeting

– SC&A was assigned to perform a review of the ER
Under Advisory Board Review (8/8)

 Pinellas Plant (SEC-0256) - NIOSH discussed the ER at the December 

2021 Advisory Board meeting

– SC&A was assigned to perform a review of the ER
Sites With Evaluation Period Awaiting Action (1/2)

 Hanford (SEC-0057) 1984-1990 

(prime contractors)

 Savannah River Site (SEC-0103) 1972-2007 

(prime contractors)

 Savannah River Site (SEC-0103) 1990-2007 

(subcontractors)

 Los Alamos National Laboratory (SEC-0109) 1996-2005

 Sandia National Laboratory (SEC-0188) 1997-2011

 Idaho National Laboratory (SEC-0219) 1949-1970
Sites With Evaluation Period Awaiting Action (2/2)

 Argonne National Laboratory - West (SEC-0224) 1958-1979

 Area IV Santa Susanna (SEC-0235) 1991-1993

 Metals and Controls (SEC-0236) 1968-1997 

(Residual Period) 

 De Soto Avenue Facility (SEC-0246) 1965-1995

 Y-12 (SEC-0250) 1979-1994

 Pinellas (SEC-0256) 1957-1990
Potential SEC Petition 

West Valley Demonstration Project

 NIOSH evaluating a potential SEC for the Atomic Weapons 

Employer (AWE) period 1966-1968
Questions?