Special Exposure Cohort Updates

LaVon B. Rutherford, CHP

Special Exposure Cohort Health Physics Team Leader

Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health

Santa Fe, New Mexico 

November 30, 2016

Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Purpose

 Update the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker 

Health (Advisory Board)

 Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) summary of petitions

‒ in qualification

‒ under evaluation

‒ currently under Board review

‒ potential SEC petitions (83.14)
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Summary

 Petitions received - 236

• Petitions in qualification process - 1

• Petitions qualified for evaluation - 143

• NIOSH evaluation in progress - 2

• NIOSH evaluation completed - 141

 Reports with the Advisory Board - 11

 Petitions not qualifying for evaluation - 87

(NOTE: 236 does not include 5 petitions received prior to the federal regulation)
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory 

 In qualification process

 Ventura County, CA 

 Petition SEC-00235

 All employees for the time period December 31, 1964 -

present
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Los Alamos National Laboratory 1996-2005

 Los Alamos, NM

 Petition SEC-00109

 Addendum to original evaluation

 All employees

 Expected completion: February 2017
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Sandia National Laboratory 1995-2005

 Albuquerque, NM

 Petition SEC-00108

 Addendum to address remaining years 

 All employees

 Expected completion: June 2017
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 

1990-2014

 Livermore, CA

 Petition SEC-00221

 Addendum to address remaining years 

 All employees

 Expected completion: August 2017
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Idaho National Laboratory 1949-1970

 Idaho Falls, ID

 Petition SEC-00219

 Addendum to address reserved areas 

 All employees

 Expected completion: January 2017
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Metals & Controls (Residual Period)

 Attleboro, MA

 Petition SEC-00236

 All employees

 January 1, 1968 – March 1, 1997

 Expected completion: June 2017
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Petitions under Advisory Board Review

 Carborundum – work group update scheduled for this 

meeting

 Feed Materials Production Center (Fernald, SEC00046) – NIOSH is revising the site profiles to address 

the remaining issues, expected completion: 

December 2016
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Under Advisory Board Review - cont.

 Hanford (SEC-00056) – the petition period ends in 1990 

• NIOSH reviewing documentation to determine whether prime 

contractors radiological control program were meeting bioassay 

commitments

 Area IV of the Santa Susanna Field Laboratory (SEC-00093) –

year 1965 is being addressed with SEC-0234 being presented at 

this meeting
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Under Advisory Board Review - cont.

 Savannah River Site (SEC-00103) – NIOSH and Sanford 

Cohen & Associates (SC&A) update is scheduled for this 

meeting

 Los Alamos National Lab (SEC-00109) – NIOSH update is 

scheduled for this meeting
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Under Advisory Board Review - cont.

 Grand Junction Facilities (SEC-00175) – additional data capture 

and interviews are required to address recent SC&A findings

 Rocky Flats Plant (SEC-00192) – main issue remaining is 

exposure to mixed fission and activation products from the 

Critical Mass Laboratory

• NIOSH developing a white paper to address comments on previous 

exposure model 

• White paper expected completion: December 2016
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Under Advisory Board Review - cont.

 Idaho National Lab (SEC-00219) – Advisory Board reviewing 

proposed class and initial evaluation report (ER) 

• NIOSH is working on an Addendum to address the reserved areas of 

the initial ER 

• Expected completion: December 2016

 Argonne National Laboratory - West (SEC-00224) – Advisory 

Board and SC&A reviewing ER
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Sites with remaining evaluation periods awaiting action

Feed Materials Production Center 

(Fernald), SEC-00046

1984-1989 Hanford, SEC-00057 1984-1990

(Primes only)

Santa Susana Field Laboratory, SEC000931965 Savannah River Site,

SEC-00103

1973-2007

Los Alamos National Laboratory, 

SEC-0109

1996-2005 Grand Junction Facilities,

SEC-00175

1986-2010

Sandia National Laboratories –

Albuquerque, SEC-00188

1995-2011 Rocky Flats Plant,

SEC-00192

1984-1989

Idaho National Laboratory,

SEC-00219

1949-1970 Argonne National 

Laboratory – West, 

SEC-00224

1958-1979

Lawrence Livermore National 

Laboratory, SEC-00221

1990-2014 Carborundrum,

SEC-00223

1943-1976
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Potential Petitions (83.14)

 Sandia National Laboratories – Albuquerque (1945-1948)

 Dayton Project Monsanto (modify based on change in facility 

designation)

• Changed to a Department of Energy facility

• Add the 9-month period when operations were being shifted from 

“The Dayton Project” to Mound