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ADVISORY BoARD ON RADIAnON AND WORKER

-'676 ColUJDbia Parkway, MS: C-'6

Cincinnati, Ohio 45226

(513) 533-6825

lEAL rn

January 17, 2007

The Honorable Michael o. Leavitt

Secretary of Health and Human Services

Department of Health and Human Services

200 Independence Avenue, S. W .

Washington, DC 20201

CHAIRMAN:

Paul L. Ziemer, Ph.D.

Lafayette, Indiana

MEMBERS:

Bradley P. Clawson

Rexburg,ldaho

Michael H. Gibson

Franklin, Ohio

Dear Mr. Secretary

Mark A. Griffon

Salem, New Hampshire

Jam.. E. Lockey, M.D.

Cincinnati, Ohio

James M. Melius, M.D., Ph.D.

Albany, New York

Wanda I. Munn

Richland. Washington

John W. Poston, Sr., Ph.D.

College Station, Texas

RobertW. Presley

Clinton, Tennessee

Genevieve S. Roessler, Ph.D,

Elysian, Minnesota

STAFF:

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

evaluated SEC Petition-OOOM concerning workers at the General Atomics

Torrey Pines Mesa facility in La Jolla, California under the statutory

requirements established by EEOICP A and incorporated into 42 CFR Sec.

83.13 and 42 CFR Sec. 83.14. The Board respectfully recommends a

Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) be accorded to all A WE employees who

were monitored or should have been monitored for exposure to ionizing

radiation

while working at the following General Atomics locations: Science

Labomtories A, B, and C and experimental area (Building 2); Experimental

Building (Building 9); Maintenance (Building 10); Service Building

(Building 11); Buildings 21 and 22; Hot Cell Facility (Building 23); Waste

Yard (Buildings 25 and 26); Experimental Area (Buildings 27 and 27-1);

LINAC Complex (Building 30); HTGR-TCF (Building 31); Fusion

Building (Building 33); Fusion Doublet III (Building 34); SV -A (Building

37); SV-B (Building 39); and SV-D (no building number) for a number of

work days aggregating at least 250 work days from January 1, 1960,

through December 31, 1969, or in combination with work days within the

parameters established for one or more other classes of employees in the

SEC. This class does not include the following buildings at that location:

Technical Office Building (Building 13); Technical Office East Building

#1 (Building 14); and Technical Office East Building #2 (Building 15).

EXECU11VE SECRETARY:

Lewis V. Wade, Ph.D

Washington, DC

COMMITTEE MANAGEMENT:

LaShewn D. Shields

Atlanta, Georgia

The Board notes that although NIOSH found that it is unable to completely

reconstruct radiation doses for these employees, NIOSH believes that it is

able to reconstruct he external dose and components of the internal dose

(those from uraniwn and tritium for some time periods), and therefore

individuals with non-preswnptive cancers may be considered for partial

dose reconstructions.

This recommendation is based on the following factors:
The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt Jan. 17, 2007

People working in the above listed areas of the General Atomics facility in La Joll~

California were exposed to radiation from uranium, thorium, plutonium, and other

radioactive materials while perfonning tasks for the Atomic Energy Commission. In

reviewing the available monitoring and other data for these operations, NIOSH found that it

did not have access to sufficient information, including ~nnel dosimetry, workplace

monitoring data, or sufficient process and radiological source infonnation, that would allow

it to estimate with sufficient accuracy the internal radiation doses from thorium and some

other radionuclide exposures for General Atomic employees for the time period January 1,

1960 through December 31, 1969. The Board concurs with this detennination.

.

NIOSH detentlined that health may have been endangered for the workers exposed to

radiation in the above listed areas of the General Atomics facility in La Jolla, California

within the time period in question. The Board concurs with this detennination.

.

Enclosed is supporting documentation from the recent Advisory Board Meeting held in Naperville,

Illinois and ~m the Board meeting by conference call on January 11, 2007 where this special

exposure cohort was discussed. If any of these items are unavailable at this time, they wilJ folJow

shortly.

Sincerely,

""'~~~- ~

Paul L. Ziemer, Ph.D.

Chairman

Enc.