National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Special Exposure Cohort Petition Status Updates

Charles Nelson, MS

DCAS SEC Team Lead

Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health, 155

th Meeting

Teleconference| December 7, 2023
Purpose

 Update to the petitioners, general public, and the Advisory 

Board on Radiation and Worker Health (Advisory Board)

 Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) summary of petitions

– in qualification review

– under evaluation

– currently under Advisory Board review

– potential SEC petitions (83.14)
Summary

 Petitions NIOSH received to date – 263

a

– In qualification review process – 2

– Qualified for evaluation – 153

– New Evaluations in progress – 0

– Evaluations completed by NIOSH – 153

 Evaluations currently with Advisory Board – 10

 Petitions not qualifying for evaluation – 108

a

Includes 5 petitions received prior to the issuance of the SEC regulation.
SEC Petitions under Evaluation

 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) 1990-1995 

(SEC-0221)

– Evaluation Report (ER) Addendum to address remaining 

years for all employees 1990-1995

– DCAS is working with LLNL to schedule a site visit

 Hanford (SEC-0057) – All SEC issues are closed except those 

related to current ongoing internal co-exposure modeling 

efforts

– Co-Exposure modeling work underway
Under Advisory Board Review (1/8)

 Savannah River Site (SEC-0103) – NIOSH is responding to 

findings and observations raised by Sanford Cohen & 

Associates (SC&A) and the Work Group (WG)

– NIOSH awaits the results of the SC&A assessment of the 

TRACK database
Under Advisory Board Review (2/8)

 Los Alamos National Laboratory (SEC-0109) – NIOSH is 

responding to findings and observations raised by SC&A and 

the Work Group; Recent NIOSH submittal to WG:

– Weight of Evidence Supports NIOSH’s Ability to Bound LANL 

TA-53 Doses for 1996–2005; sent to WG 08/28/23

– RPRT-101 Rev 1, Bounding Intakes of Exotic Radionuclides 

at Los Alamos National Laboratory; sent to WG 09/26/23

– ORAUT-RPRT-0107 Rev 00, Dose Estimation from Intakes of 

Exotic Radionuclides at the Los Alamos Neutron Science 

Center, 1996 to 2005 was sent to WG 10/02/23
Under Advisory Board Review (3/8)

 Idaho National Laboratory (INL) (SEC-0219) - NIOSH is 

responding to findings and observations raised by SC&A and 

the work group

– NIOSH received documents from the December 2022 data 

capture in November 2023

– NIOSH returned to INL the week of 08/27/23 to scan 

documents selected during a June 2023 data capture trip. 
Under Advisory Board Review (4/8)

 Idaho National Laboratory (SEC-0219) – cont. 

– NIOSH is awaiting release of documents from INL 

classification review for June 2023 data capture and the 

August 2023 document scanning trip

– NIOSH is working on RPRT-0100 which reviews the 

remainder of the high-priority reactors with respect to the 

application of OTIB-0054 for dose reconstructions
Under Advisory Board Review (5/8)

 Argonne National Laboratory West (SEC-0224) - NIOSH is 

responding to findings and observations raised by SC&A and 

the WG

– ORAUT-RPRT-0089, Evaluation of Issues in the Use of 

General Area Air Sampling for Argonne National 

Laboratory- West Internal Dose Assessment, was sent to 

the WG for review on 06/08/22
Under Advisory Board Review (6/8)

 Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SEC-0235) -

NIOSH is working to provide clarification on remaining issues 

– The records center has been digitizing records and sending 

them to DCAS for review

 Metals and Controls Corp. (M&C)(SEC-0236) – With the M&C 

Work Group 

– There is a M&C WG update scheduled for today
Under Advisory Board Review (7/8)

 De Soto Avenue Facility (SEC-0246) - NIOSH is working to 

provide clarification on remaining issues 

– The records center has been digitizing records and sending 

them to DCAS for review

 Y-12 Plant (SEC-0250) - Addendum to the ER was presented in 

the August 2021 Advisory Board meeting

– SC&A was assigned to perform a review of the ER
Under Advisory Board Review (8/8)

 Pinellas Plant (SEC-0256) - NIOSH presented the ER at the 

December 2021 Advisory Board meeting

– A WG meeting took place on 11/20/23

– There is a Pinellas WG update scheduled for today
Sites With Evaluation Period Awaiting Action (1/3)

Site (SEC Number) Date

Hanford (SEC-0057) 1984-1990 

(Prime 

Contractors)

Savannah River Site (SEC-0103) 1972-2007 

(Prime 

Contractors)

Savannah River Site (SEC-0103) 1991-2007 

(Subcontractors) 
Sites With Evaluation Period Awaiting Action (2/3)

Site (SEC Number) Date

Los Alamos National Laboratory (SEC-0109) 1996-2005

Idaho National Laboratory (SEC-0219) 1949-1970

Argonne National Laboratory - West (SEC0224)1958-1979

Area IV Santa Susanna (SEC-0235) 1991-1993
Sites With Evaluation Period Awaiting Action (3/3)

Site (SEC Number) Date

Metals and Controls Corp. (SEC-0236) 1968-1997 

(Residual 

Period) 

De Soto Avenue Facility (SEC-0246) 1965-1995

Y-12 Plant (SEC-0250) 1979-1994

Pinellas Plant (SEC-0256) 1957-1990
Potential SEC Petition 

 West Valley Demonstration Project

– NIOSH evaluating a potential SEC for the Atomic Weapons 

Employer (AWE) period 1966-1968
Questions?
For more information, contact CDC

1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636)

TTY: 1-888-232-6348

www.cdc.gov

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.