Camelia ADVISORY BOARD ON RADIATION AND WORKER HEALTH

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- 4676 Columbia Parkway, MS: C-46
i Cincinnati, Ohio 45226
% (513) 533-6825
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May 17, 2005
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The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt ae) = 2]
Secretary of Health and Human Services non B a

CHAIRMAN: A 2 =
SHAIRM AN PhD. Department of Health and Human Services 232 som
Lafayette, Indiana 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. men =
Washington, DC 20201 705 Pom
MEMBERS: 2 2 Oo

Henry A. Anderson, M.D. Dear Mr. Secretary: 82 ¥w

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

Roy L. DeHart, M.D., M.P.H. re .
Nashville, Tennessee evaluated SEC Petition -0006 concerning the lowa Ordnance Plant
Richard L. Espinosa (IOP) under the statutory requirements established by EEOICPA and
Espanola, New Mexico incorporated into 42 CFR Sec. 83.13 (c) (1) and 42 CFR Sec. 83.13 (c)
Micheet Hi, Gibson (3). The Board respectfully recommends a Special Exposure Cohort be
Franklin, Ohio accorded to all Department of Energy (DOE) employees or its
Mark A. Griffon contractor or subcontractor employees who worked at the lowa Army
Salem, New Hampshire Ammunition Plant Line 1 (which includes Yard C, Yard G, Yard L,
James M. Melius, M.D., Ph.D. Firing Site Area, Burning Field “B” and Storage Sites for Pits and
Albany, New York Weapons Including Buildings 73 and 77) from March 1949 to 1974 and
Wanda |. Muan whom were employed for a number of work days aggregating at least
Richland, Washington 250 work days, occurring either solely under this employment , or in
Chartes L. Owens combination with work days of employment occurring within the
Paducah, Kentucky parameters (excluding aggregate work day requirements) established
Robert W. Presiey for other classes of employees included in the SEC. This
Clinton, Tennessee recommendation is based on three specific factors:

Genevieve S. Roessier, Ph.D. oe, 7 . .
Elysian, Minnesota e Allemployees identified in the petition worked in one of the earliest

environments where nuclear materials were handled.

STAFF: © There are limited monitoring data available at this facility (used for
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY: external or internal dose determinations) during the time period
Lewis V. Wade involved. Even when a personal monitoring program was
Washington, DC implemented, most of the nuclear area workers were never
monitored. Consequently, the representativeness of these data has

COMMITTEE MANAGEMENT : not been clearly established at this time. In addition, personal
Cori 8. Homer exposures in some job categories with significant radiation

Atianta, Georgia exposures were never monitored. There are also serious

uncertainties regarding the monitoring techniques in place at that
time, with the evaluation of radon and radon progeny
concentrations, exposures at the facility, with the basis for


The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt May 17, 2005

calculating the neutron to photon ratio, and with the evaluation of exposures from some
sources of exposure (e.g., pits). These limitations and uncertainties cause a number of
difficulties for performing individual dose reconstructions.

© Atour February meeting, NIOSH concluded that it is likely that radiation doses at the lowa
Ordnance Plant during this time period could have endangered the health of members of this

class. The Board concurs.

Based on these considerations and our discussions and deliberations at our February and April
Board meetings, the Board recommends that this Special Exposure Cohort petition be granted.

In addition, the NIOSH evaluation of the petition defines a class of employees who worked from
June 1947 to May 1948 prior to the introduction of any radioactive materials or radiological
procedures at Line | of the lowa Army Ammunition Plant. For this class, NIOSH determined that
no feasibility determination is necessary because members of the class received no radiation doses
as covered by EEOICPA. The Board concurs with this determination.

Finally, the petition and evaluation also addresses a potential class of employees composed of
industrial radiographers who may have conducted radiography on non-radiological high explosive
weapons from May 1948 to March 1949. NIOSH plans to issue a separate evaluation report
addressing this potential class in the near future. In the context of this petition and evaluation, the
Board concurs with this decision.

Enclosed is supporting documentation from the Advisory Board Meeting held April 25 — 27, 2005,
in Cedar Rapids, lowa. This documentation includes transcripts of the Board’s deliberations,
transcripts of public comments on the petition, copies of the petition and the NIOSH review thereof,
and related documents distributed by NIOSH and the petitioners. If any of these items are
unavailable at this time, they will follow shortly.

Sincerely,

ai L. Ziemer, Chairman
Advisory Board on fation and Worker Health

Enc.