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

September 1, 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-00166 concerning workers at the Ames Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, 

under the statutory requirements established by EEOICPA and incorporated 

into 42 CFR Sec. 83.13. The Board respectfully recommends Special Exposure 

Cohort status be accorded to all employees of the Department of Energy, its 

predecessor agencies, and its contractors or subcontractors who worked in any 

area of the Department of Energy facility at the Ames Laboratory from January 

1, 1955 through December 31, 1960, 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 in the Special Exposure Cohort. 

This recommendation is based on the following factors:

• Employees at the Ames Laboratory during the time period in question 

worked on research and production activities related to nuclear weapons 

production.

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

process and source term information, for the various nuclear research 

and production activities at the Ames Laboratory found that there were 

insufficient data to estimate with sufficient accuracy internal exposures 

to various radionuclides (other than uranium and thorium contamination 

resulting from earlier production activities) for workers at this facility 

during the time period in question. The Board concurs with this 

determination.

• NIOSH determined that health may have been endangered for these 

Ames Laboratory facility workers during the time period in question. The 

Board concurs with this determination. 

Based on these considerations and the discussions held at our August 10-12, 

2010 Advisory Board meeting in Idaho Falls, Idaho, 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, Advisory Board on Radiation and 

Worker Health

Enclosure