Review of Special Exposure Cohort 

Evaluation Report for SEC-00217 –

Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Bloomfield , NJ

Work Group on Uranium Refining AWEs

Presented at ABRWH Meeting

August 9–10, 2016

Idaho Falls, ID
Operations at WEC

• August 1942–December 1949: WEC produced

limited quantities of U metal via

photochemical reaction of U nitrate or oxide

with KF, also produced 200 lb of Th metal.

• February 1958–May 1958: WEC performed

test rolling of U tubes for Fernald.

• June 1959: WEC performed additional test

rolling of U tubes (NIOSH 2015).
SEC Status 

• AWE workers added to SEC for 1st operating 

period (8/1942–12/1949) based on Petition 

SEC-00157 (NIOSH 2010).

• No approach for reconstructing doses during 

residual period (1950–2006) presented by NIOSH 

in ER of SEC-00157.

• New petition (SEC-00217) qualified by NIOSH on 

1/8/2015 requesting that all employees who 

worked at WEC from Jan. 1950 to March 2011 be 

added to SEC.
SEC Status (cont.)

• Based on further review, NIOSH defined two 

additional operating periods and three residual 

periods (1/1/1950–1/31/1958; 6/1/1958–

5/31/1959; and 7/1/1959–4/30/2000).

• NIOSH determined that doses could not be 

reconstructed for additional operating periods, so 

additional workers were added to the SEC.

• NIOSH determined that doses could be 

constructed for three residual periods 

(NIOSH 2015). 
SC&A Evaluation of SEC-00217

• ABRWH tasked SC&A to review the ER for 

SEC-00217, focusing on residual periods only.

• Based on its review, SC&A developed two 

observations and two findings (SC&A 2015). 
SC&A Evaluation of SEC-00217 (cont.)

• Observation 1. Mode 2 ingestion exposures 

based on OCAS-TIB-009 [NIOSH 2004]should 

be adjusted for the duration of the work-day 

(i.e., 8, 8.8, or 9.6 hr) based on the dates on 

which the exposures occurred.

• NIOSH response (5/24/16): Occupancy times 

will be adjusted (NIOSH 2016).
SC&A Evaluation of SEC-00217 (cont.)

• Observation 2. The deposition time used in the 

Model DR (Spreadsheet 2015) is not consistent 

with that proposed on p. 37 of NIOSH 2015.

• NIOSH Response (5/24/16): NIOSH will update 

the calculations for the third residual period.
SC&A Evaluation of SEC-00217 (cont.)

• Finding 1. The procedure for calculating air 

concentrations during the 1st residual period 

is not consistent with the guidance provided in 

ORAUT-OTIB-0070.

• NIOSH Response (5/24/16): NIOSH felt that 

this was a site profile issue, not an issue 

related to the SEC. The Work Group was in 

agreement on that approach.
SC&A Evaluation of SEC-00217 (cont.)

• Finding 2. The guidance provided in OTIB-0070 (Section 3.6) 

for calculating doses during the residual period refers to 

OCAS-TIB-009 (NIOSH 2004). This guidance should be 

revised, since the OCAS-TIB-009 approach cannot be used 

to calculate ingestion intakes from transfer of surface 

contamination to the hands and then to the mouth. Use of 

the procedure in TIB-009 understates this source of 

ingestion. The calculations in the SEC-00217 ER for the 1st 

residual period should be modified accordingly.

• This finding applies to all residual periods.

• NIOSH response (5/24/16): NIOSH agreed to modify 

ingestion intakes accordingly. Like Finding 1, this was also 

deemed to be a site profile issue.
Summary 

• The two SC&A observations were resolved.

• Both findings were determined to be site 

profile issues.

• There was general agreement on the 

approach to addressing Finding 2, but 

Finding 1 will require additional review by 

NIOSH as to the preferred approach for 

addressing air concentrations during the 

residual periods at WEC.
References

• NIOSH 2004. Estimation of Ingestion Intakes, Technical Information 

Bulletin, OCAS-TIB-009, Rev. 0, National Institute for Occupational Safety 

and Health, Office of Compensation Analysis and Support, Cincinnati, 

Ohio. April 13, 2004.

• NIOSH 2010. SEC Petition Evaluation Report for Petition SEC-00159, 

Westinghouse Electric Corp., Bloomfield, New Jersey, National Institute for 

Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Cincinnati, Ohio. January 14, 

2010. [SRDB Ref ID: 118649]

• NIOSH 2015. SEC Petition Evaluation Report for Petition SEC-00217, 

Westinghouse Electric Corp., Bloomfield, New Jersey, National Institute for 

Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio. April 14, 2015. 

• NIOSH 2016. Response to SC&A’s Comments on SEC Evaluation Report for 

SEC-00217, L. Rutherford (DCAS) and M. Sharfi (ORAU). May 24, 2016.

• SC&A 2015. Review of Special Exposure Cohort Evaluation Report for 

SEC-00217. July 2015