Clinton Engineer Works

Special Exposure Cohort

Petition Evaluation Report

James W. Neton, PhD, CHP

Associate Director for Science

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

February 2012

Oakland, CA
Petition Overview

 Petition received on July 28, 2010

 Petitioner proposed class definition:

• All guards and service workers who worked 

any area at Clinton Engineer Works fromJanuary 1, 1943 through May 18, 1947

 Covered period for the Clinton Engineer

Works (CEW) is from 1943 to 1949
Petition Overview—cont.

 Petition qualified for evaluation on October 

2010

 Affidavit provided by survivor in support of 

petition basis indicated:

• Employees were not monitored

 The class evaluated by NIOSH:

• All guards and service workers who worked in o

the warehouses at the Elza Gate area of Clinton Works from January 1, 1943 through December 
Petition Overview—cont.

 NIOSH proposed class to be added to the SE

All employees of the Tennessee Eastman Corpor

(1943‐1947) and the Carbide and Carbon Chemic

Corporation (1947‐1949) who were employed at 

Clinton Engineer Works in Oak Ridge, Tennessee

January 1, 1943 through December 31, 1949 for 

number of work days aggregating at least 250 woccurring either solely under this employment o

combination with work days within the paramet

established for one or more classes of employee

included in the Special Exposure Cohort
Background

 CEW is located in the Oak Ridge Area of TN,

consisting of ~ 59,000 acres and encompasses 

X‐10, and K‐25 facilities and the community o

Ridge

 CEW site is about 17 miles long and 9 miles w

their greatest width and length, respectively

 City of Oak Ridge occupied approximately 8 sq

miles in the northeast corner of CEW

 EEOICPA covered facility of CEW does not incl

the separately covered sites within the CEW

boundary
Map of CEW
Background: Elza Gate Warehous

 20‐acre site with five warehouses used for stor

radioactive materials

 Located near the Elza entrance gate to Oak Rid

 The warehouses are the only buildings within 

where radioactive materials are known to have stored or handled during the CEW covered per

 Workforce of warehouses provided by Y‐12 co

Tennessee Eastman Corporation through 1947 

Carbon and Carbide Chemicals Corporation the
Background: Elza Gate Warehous
Background: Stored Materia

 High‐ and low‐grade uranium ores from Afri

 Slag and residues from uranium processing t

shipped back to African Metals

 Various radioactive materials and surplus

equipment parts from the operation of Y‐12
Previous Dose Reconstructio

NIOSH OCAS Claims Tracking System

Information available as of January 25, 2012

• CEW claims submitted to NIOSH 38• Claims that meet the class definition 34

• Dose reconstructions completed for claims 27

that meet the class definition

Cases with a PoC > 50% 5

Cases with a PoC < 50% 22

• Claims containing internal dosimetry 0

• Claims containing external dosimetry 0
Sources of Available Informat

 ORAU Team Technical Information Bulletin

(TIBs) and Procedures

 Interviews with two individuals knowledge

about Oak Ridge history

 Existing claimant files Documentation provided by petitioner

 NIOSH Site Research Database

 Data capture
Data Capture Efforts

 DOE Opennet (OSTI database)

 Internet search

 DOE Comprehensive Epidemiological Data

Resource (CEDR)

 NARA Atlanta

 Oak Ridge Operations Office
External and Internal Source

of Exposure

 Direct radiation from handling or working 

the ore and tailings

 Inhalation of radon and radon decay prod

 Dust inhalation and ingestion from handli

ore and slag materials (e.g., loading,

unloading, and re‐bagging dry materials)
External Sources of Exposur

 Photons

• Uranium and progeny

• Radium, radon and shortlived progeny

 Beta

• Uranium progeny (protactinium)
Internal Sources of Exposur

 Uranium and progeny

 Radium and radon and its short‐lived prog
Available Internal Monitoring D

 Various radon in air samples from 1944 an

1945, some before and after installation o

ventilation equipment

 There is no information that workers at th

Gate warehouses were undergoing bioass

sampling

 No internal monitoring data has been fou
Available External Monitoring D

 Film badge data available for a limited num

workers and time periods (1945 and 1946 o

 University of Rochester provided film badg

service

 Limited number of area gamma surveys fro

and 1945
Feasibility of Dose Reconstruc

 There are insufficient monitoring and

source‐term data from which to drawconclusions regarding potential magnitude 

internal and external doses for the period January 1, 1943 through December 31, 194

• Limited film badge data available

• Lack of radon, air sampling, and personal bioa

uranium progeny through 1949

• Inconsistent source‐term and varied unknown

activities prevent modeling or using surrogate 
Summary of Feasibility Findin

Sources of Exposure

January 1, 1943 – December 31, 1949

DR Feasible DR Not Feasib

Internal X

Radon XUranium XRadium XThorium X

External X

Gamma XBeta XNeutron NA NAX‐ray X
Health Endangerment

 The evidence reviewed in this evaluation

indicates that some workers in the class m

have accumulated chronic radiation expos

through intakes of radionuclides and direc

exposure to radioactive materials

 Consequently, NIOSH is specifying that hea

may have been endangered for those work

covered by this evaluation who were empl

for a number of work days aggregating at l

250 work days within the parameters

established for this class or in combination 

work days within the parameters establish

one or more other classes of employees in 

SEC
Proposed Class

All employees of the Tennessee Eastman

Corporation (1943‐1947) and the Carbide a

Carbon Chemicals Corporation (1947‐1949

were employed at the Clinton Engineer Wo

Oak Ridge, Tennessee, from January 1, 194

through December 31, 1949 for a number work days aggregating at least 250 work d

occurring either solely under this employmin combination with work days within the

parameters established for one or more cla

of employees included in the Special Expo

Cohort
Recommendation

 For the period January 1, 1943

– December 

1949, NIOSH finds that radiation dose estim

cannot be reconstructed for compensation

purposes

Class Feasibility Health Endangerm

January 1, 1943 – 

December 31, 1949 No Yes