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ADVISORY BOARD ON RADIATION AND WORKER HEALTH

1150 Tusculum Ave 

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

David Kotelchuck, Ph.D.

 New York, New York

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

David B. Richardson, Ph.D.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Genevieve S. Roessler, Ph.D.

 Elysian, Minnesota

Phillip Schofield

 Bosque Farm, New Mexico

Loretta R. Valerio

 Santa Fe, New Mexico

Paul L. Ziemer, Ph.D.

 Lafayette, Indiana

STAFF

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

Theodore M. Katz, MPA

 Atlanta, Georgia

COMMITTEE MANAGEMENT 

Zaida Burgos

 Atlanta, Georgia

May 2, 2016

The Honorable Sylvia M. Burwell

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 Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) Petition 00224 concerning 

workers at the Argonne National Laboratory-West in Scoville, Idaho, 

under the statutory requirements established by the Energy Employees 

Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 and 

incorporated into 42 CFR Sec. 83.13. 

The Board respectfully recommends that SEC status be accorded to:

“All employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor 

agencies, and their contractors and subcontractors who worked at 

the Argonne National Laboratory-West during the time period from 

April 10, 1951, through December 31, 1957, 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:

• Workers at this facility during the time period in question were 

involved in operations related to the development of nuclear power 

technology. 

• NIOSH’s review of available monitoring data, as well as available 

process and source term information for this facility, found that 

NIOSH lacked the sufficient information to allow it to estimate with 

sufficient accuracy the potential internal and external doses, which 

employees working at this facility may have been subjected. The 

Board concurs with this determination.

• NIOSH also determined that health may have been endangered 

for these Argonne National Laboratory-West employees during the 

time period in question. The Board also concurs with this 

determination.
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Based on these considerations and the discussion at the March 23 and 24, 2016, Board 

meeting in Tampa, Florida, the Board recommends that this class be added to the SEC. 

Enclosed is the documentation from the Board meeting(s) where this SEC class was 

discussed. The documentation includes 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, ABRWH

Enclosure