Enc.

ADVISORY BOARD ON RADIATION AND WORKER HEALTH

4676 Columbia Parkway, MS: C-46 

Cincinnati, Ohio 45226

(513) 533-6825

CHAIRMAN

James M. Melius, M.D., Dr. PH.

 Albany, New York

MEMBERS

Henry Anderson, M.D.

 Madison, Wisconsin

Josie Beach

 Kennewick, Washington 

Bradley P. Clawson

 Rexburg, Idaho

R. William Field, Ph.D. 

 Iowa City, Iowa

Michael H. Gibson

 Franklin, Ohio

Mark A. Griffon

 Salem, New Hampshire

Richard Lemen, Ph.D.

 Canton, Georgia

James E. Lockey, M.D.

 Cincinnati, Ohio

Wanda I. Munn

 Richland, Washington

John W. Poston, Sr., Ph.D.

 College Station, Texas

Robert W. Presley

 Seymour, Tennessee

David B. Richardson, Ph.D.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina 

Genevieve S. Roessler, Ph.D.

 Elysian, Minnesota

Phillip Schofield

 Bosque Farm, New Mexico

Paul L. Ziemer, Ph.D.

 Lafayette, Indiana

STAFF

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

Theodore M. Katz, MPA

 Atlanta, Georgia

COMMITTEE MANAGEMENT 

Zaida Burgos

 Atlanta, Georgia

June 11, 2010

The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius

Secretary 

Department of Health and Human Services

200 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20201

Dear Madam Secretary:

The Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health (The Board) has evaluated 

SEC Petition-00170 concerning workers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory 

(LANL) in Los Alamos, New Mexico under the statutory requirements 

established by EEOICPA and incorporated into 42 CFR Sec. 83.14. The Board 

respectfully recommends Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) status be accorded to 

all employees of the Department of Energy (DOE), its predecessor agencies, 

and their contractors and subcontractors who worked at the Los Alamos 

National Laboratory (LANL) in Los Alamos, New Mexico from March 15, 1943 

through December 31, 1975, for a number of work days aggregating at least 

250 work days, occurring either solely under this employment or in combination 

with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes 

of employees included in the Special Exposure Cohort. 

This recommendation is based on the following factors:

• People working at LANL during the time period in question worked on 

research and development activities related to nuclear weapons 

production.

• The NIOSH review of available monitoring data as well as available 

process and source term information for various nuclear research and 

development activities at LANL found that NIOSH lacked adequate 

information necessary to complete accurate individual dose 

reconstructions for a number of radionuclides during the time period in 

question. The Board concurs with this determination. 

• NIOSH determined that health may have been endangered for these 

LANL facility workers during the time period in question. The Board 

concurs with this determination. 

 

Based on these considerations and the discussions held at our May 19 to 21, 

2010, Advisory Board meeting held in Niagara Falls, New York, the Board 

recommends that this Special Exposure Cohort petition be granted. 
The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius Page 2

Enclosed is the documentation from the Board meeting(s) where this Special Exposure Cohort 

class was discussed. The documentation includes transcripts of the deliberations, copies of 

the petition, the NIOSH review thereof, and related materials. If any of these items are 

unavailable at this time, they will follow shortly. 

 

Sincerely,

 [Signature on file]

 James M. Melius, M.D., Dr. PH

 Chairman, ABRWH

Enclosure