Westinghouse Electric Corp

in Bloomfield, New Jersey

Special Exposure Cohort Petition SEC‐00217

Gregory V. Macievic, Ph.D.

Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health

June 9, 2015

Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act

(EEOICPA)

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

This presentation will discuss
 

 Petition, site history and background

 Sources of information Previous dose reconstructions (DR)

 Potential exposures

 DR feasibility and approaches Health endangerment

 Proposed SEC class addition

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

SEC petition
 

 Received June 12, 2014 Petitioned class:

All Atomic Weapons Employer employees who wany plant production area of Westinghouse Elec

in Bloomfield, New Jersey, from January 1, 1950 March 1, 2011

 Qualified for evaluation Jan. 8, 2015 on a lack 

monitoring basis

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

SEC petition
 

 Petition class evaluated:

All employees who worked in any plant production a

the Westinghouse Electric Corporation site in Bloom

during the period from Jan. 1, 1950 through March 

 NIOSH determined that April 30, 2000, was th

date for applicable EEOICPA program exposur

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

Site history and background
 

 Produced U as an Atomic Weapons

Employer (AWE) during WWII

 Covered time periods:

 1942 through 1949

 February‐May 1958, June 1959

 Residual radiation period from 1950‐March 1, 201

 Workers from August 13, 1942–December 31, 

added to SEC under petition SEC‐00159

 Produced 200 lb of thorium (Th) for the Manh

Engineer District (MED) in early 1945

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

Site history and background
 

 Processing of U prior to 1950 Photochemical technique used on Building 7 r

produce U salt that was pipe‐fed to the buildibasement

 Then, electrolyzed in the basement to yield U 

 In 1945, the contract ended (equipment remo

and production facility deactivated)

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Site history and background
 

 11 main buildin

several smallerbuildings, and a 

 All AWE work to

in the basementhe roof of Build

 After deactivati

Building 7 mostfor research tes

laboratory

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Division of Compensation Analysis and S

Site history and background
 

 First commercial license issued May 1, 1954

 Received only Th compounds

 Commercial rad‐work in the 1950s first in Buil

6, 7, 8, and 9 with 78 workers (26 workers cov

shifts)

 Site’s commercial work mainly developed and

manufactured electric lamps

 Natural Th used to study emission mixtures an

production of thoriated tungsten wire

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

Site history and background
 

 Based on NIOSH research the Department of Labor (D

added 2 more AWE operational periods

 February‐May 1958 and June 1959

 Active machining for 5 days in 1958 and for 5 days in 1959

 Covered work included feasibility test rollings for Feed

Materials Production Center (Fernald, Ohio), and incl

Department of Energy (DOE) Health and Safety Labor

(HASL) oversight

 Small lot basis – 6 tubes tested in 1958

 Performed rotary elongation of U tubes for fabricatio

elements

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Division of Compensation Analysis and S

Site history and background
 

Assel Mill Rolls during tube elongation

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

Site history and background
 

 In October 1976, all known or suspected area

involved with the MED work (Building 7) weresurveyed under Formerly Utilized Sites Remed

Action Program (FUSRAP)

 Surveys indicated traces of residual U contam

slightly in excess of Nuclear Regulatory Comm

(NRC) guidelines in the basement and on an o

loading dock

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

Site history and background
 

 Decontamination & Decommissioning (D&D) o

Building 7 began in 1976 D&D

 Westinghouse (without DOE involvement) per

all D&D work

 In 1985 all site manufacturing operations stop

 All D&D completed by April 30, 2000

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

Sources of available information
 

 NIOSH used Document TBD‐6000 to model do

from residual contamination generated frommachining operations

 496 documents found in NIOSH Site Research

Database (SRDB)

 8 interviews of former employees and site exp

 Normal data searches also conducted (Interne

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

Previous DRs
 

 41 WEC claims submitted for dose reconstruc

 35 cases submitted for energy employees who

worked during the period under evaluation (Ja

1950 – March 1, 2011)

 32 dose reconstructions completed for energy

employees who worked during the period und

evaluation

 0 cases with dosimetry records

 0 claims with external dosimetry records

(NIOSH DCAS Claims Tracking System Information available as of March 2015)

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

Potential exposure
 

 Internal inhalation and ingestion of U and Th

 External photon / beta exposure from the U s

material, its decay products, and small amoun

and Th surface contamination present after

operations ceased

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Potential exposure
 

Internal source(s)Urinalysis NIOSH has reviewed commercial license requireme

WEC to perform urinalysis beginning in 1954; howeNIOSH has not located any record

 Furthermore, WEC requested a license modificatio

termination of the urinalysis requirement in 1964 d

low exposure potential

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Potential exposure
 

Internal source(s)Air sample data 1958 (2nd operational period) 39 GA, 7 BZ, gross alpha, 

6595 dpm/m3 Site visit by J. A. Quigley, M.D. (Harris and

Kingsley)

 1959 (3rd operational period) 20 GA, 7 BZ, gross alpha, M

dpm/m3

 Many other air samples (GA, BZ, ventilation exhaust and 

contamination)

 However, they were for the monitoring of commercial work and 

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Potential exposure
 

External source(s)No data for AEC work found

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Potential exposure
 

External source(s)Air monitoring data In 1958, J. A. Quigley, M.D. provided oversight and d

of work area decontamination to achieve <0.1 mr/h

 Other data available for D&D and commercial work

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

DR feasibility and approaches
 

 NIOSH finds it is not feasible to estimate commercial 

with sufficient accuracy for all workers at WEC during 

operational periods from Feb. 1, 1958 through May 3and from June 1, 1959 through June 30, 1959

 Radiation doses from commercial operations are requ

be assessed during the AWE Operations Periods

 NIOSH found that the available monitoring records, p

descriptions, and source‐term data are adequate to c

dose reconstructions with sufficient accuracy for the 

class of employees during the Residual Radiation Per

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Division of Compensation Analysis and S

DR feasibility and approaches
 

First Residual Radiation Period Jan. 1, 1950 through Jan. 31, 1958

 Use the max average pre‐work gross‐alpha general‐a

sample taken during 2nd operational period; 12 dpm/

 Assume this sample represents residual alpha contam

generated during the first operational period and re‐

suspended

 Use the OTIB‐70 default depletion constant to mode

build‐up of this air concentration back to Jan. 1, 1950

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Division of Compensation Analysis and S

DR feasibility and approaches
 

Second Residual Radiation Period June 1, 1958 through May 31, 1959

 Use the average air sample (12 dpm/m3) collected “

clean‐up and decontamination work was done” at ththe second operational period

 Assume it is representative of the air concentration a

start of this residual radiation period and apply it as constant

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

DR feasibility and approaches
 

Third Residual Radiation Period

 July 1, 1959 through remediation (April 30, 2000)

 Start with the highest air sample (5551 dpm/m3) colle

during the third operational period, and use the settli

resuspension method presented in Battelle‐TBD‐6000 estimate the airborne concentration at the beginning 

residual radiation period

 Use ORAUT‐OTIB‐0070 depletion methods for subseq

years

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

DR feasibility and approaches
 

D&D Activities No remediation period listed for WEC in the DOE‐HS

Database, and no D&D performed at DOE direction o

expense

 D&D work on Building 7 began November 1, 1976, co

by April 30, 2000

 Suggest using the third residual radiation period air

concentration applicable at the start of each D&D ef

bind exposures, and increase it by order of magnitud

address additional re‐suspension created during acti

(as discussed in document ORAUT‐OTIB‐0070)

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

DR feasibility and approaches
 

 The intakes for the residual radiation periods will app

personnel with primary responsibilities in the Rad pro

areas

 For administrative or non‐production area personnel, 

will assume that they were exposed to 10% of the air

concentration as that for the personnel with primary

responsibilities in the Rad production areas

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

DR feasibility and approaches
 

 All of the air samples used to create these bounding m

were initially analyzed for gross alpha content; theref

NIOSH will choose the most claimant‐favorable mixtu

thorium (from potentially the 1st operational period p

1950) or uranium when estimating worker doses

 NIOSH will derive the personal ingestion rate with

methodologies presented in OCAS‐TIB‐009

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

DR feasibility and approaches
 

External Doses NIOSH will bound residual radiation period doses by 

air concentrations previously modeled for the applic

period, and apply methodology described in ORAUT‐

0070, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s FeGuidance Report No. 12, to model doses from conta

surfaces and air submersion

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

DR feasibility and approaches
 

 NIOSH will use Battelle‐TBD‐6000, OCAS‐TIB‐009, and 

OTIB‐0070 methods, as well as available air data andoperational descriptions, for partial dose reconstruct

the following:

 AWE operations associated with the uranium machin

project for Fernald from May 12, 1958 through May 1

and from June 25, 1959 through June 29, 1959

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

Health endangerment
 

 The evidence reviewed in this evaluation indicates th

workers in the class may have accumulated chronic ra

exposures through intakes of radionuclides and direct

exposure to radioactive materials

 Consequently, NIOSH is specifying the health may hav

endangered for those workers who were employed fo

number of work days aggregating at least 250 work d

the parameters established for this class or in combinwith work days within the parameters established for 

more other classes of employees in the SEC

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Residual Periods 

(1/1/50 ‐ 1/31/58), (6/1/58 ‐ 5/31/59), (7/1/59 ‐ 4/30/2000)

Exposure Source Feasible Not F

InternalExternal

Yes

Yes

AWE Operations Periods
 (2/1/58 ‐ 5/31/58), (6/1/59 ‐ 6/30/59)

InternalExternal

No/

No/

Division of Compensation Analysis and S
Division of Compensation Analysis and S

Proposed class
 

All Atomic Weapons Employees who worked at t

facility owned by Westinghouse Electric Corp. 

Bloomfield, New Jersey, during the period from Februa1, 1958 through May 31, 1958, or during the peri

from June 1, 1959 through June 30, 1959, for a numb

of work days aggregating at least 250 work da

occurring either solely under this employment, or 

combination with work days within the parametestablished for one or more other classes of employe

included in the Special Exposure Cohort.

Division of Compensation Analysis and S