Sandia National Laboratories – Livermore

Special Exposure Cohort Petition 

Dr. Samuel Glover

Research Health Scientist

NIOSH Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

October 2013

Westminster, CO
Background

 NIOSH determines it is not feasible to complete the dose 

reconstruction for a worker class due to lack of sufficient 

dosimetry-related information at Sandia National 

Laboratory-Livermore (SNL-L)

 On August 14, 2013 –NIOSH notifies claimant and provides 

a copy of Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) petition 

 August 22, 2013 – Petition form received

 October 7, 2013 – Evaluation Report issued
 Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, and 

their contractors and subcontractors 

 Who worked in any area at Sandia National 

Laboratories-Livermore in Livermore, California

 October 1, 1957 through December 31, 1994

NIOSH-Evaluated Class
 Early 1956 – Sandia National Laboratory establishes Livermore site to 

provide direct support to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 

(LLNL), which was originally located only at the LLNL site

 End of 1956 – plans made for a much larger support effort adjacent to 

LLNL, which would employ about 1000 workers 

 October 1957 – facility opens

 1958 – Employs about 800 workers to develop W38 warhead for the 

Titan I and Atlas missiles

• Develops to consist of about 70 buildings on 410 acres adjacent to LLNL

• Number of employees typically ranges from 1000 to 1100

 Site continuously operated by Sandia Corporation 

Background
Background–cont.
 Primary mission of SNL-L included

• Engineer or “weaponize” the nuclear physics package designed by 

LLNL (production of parts and final weapons accomplished at other 

sites)

– Design and test non-nuclear components of the nuclear weapons package designed 

by LLNL

– Ensure that the other 95% of the weapon’s parts work perfectly at every point of 

contact with the delivery systems 

– Weaponizationincludes arming, fuzingand firing systems; neutron generators; gas 

transfer systems; and surety systems

• SNL-L support for LLNL later expanded to include effects of test 

analyses and telemetry for LLNL tests

• From 1959 to the early 1970’s SNL-L participated in evaluation of 

the Plowshare Program nuclear detonations

Background–cont.
 Facilities and operations supporting these core missions included:

• Weapons Facility Complex (test/repair neutron detectors, wet 

machining of uranium, radiography of weapons components, 

ion beam analysis of materials, tritium storage studies, etc.)

• Micro and Nano Technologies Laboratories (Radiography for 

material science studies)

• Centrifuge and explosive test facility

Background–cont.
 Additional facilities and activities

• Former Tritium Research Laboratory (now known as the Chemical 

and Radiological Detection Laboratory)

• Explosive and Environmental Testing Complex (environmental testing 

of mock-up weapons and components)

• Additional classified activities involving thorium and highly enriched 

uranium

• Proximity of LLNL to SNL-L allowed workers to wheel test devices 

across the street

Background–cont.
 Oak Ridge Associated Universities Team (ORAUT) 

• Technical Basis Document(s) (TBD), Technical Information Bulletins (TIBs), and 

Procedures

 Interviews with former employees

 Existing claimant files

 NIOSH Site Research Database (more than 1,000 documents)

 Multiple data capture visits to SNL-L and Sandia Albuquerque (SNL-A) 

related to SNL-L

 Data capture of Sandia-related records at facilities across the 

Department of Energy (DOE) complex

 DOE OpenNet (Office of Science and Technical Information database

 Internet searches

Sources of Available Information
Description as of October 3, 2013 Total

Total number of SNL-Livermore claims submitted for dose 

reconstruction 132

Claims completed with a Probability of Causation (POC) above 

50% 15

Claims completed with a POC less than 50% 100

Claims with employment during the period evaluated 123

Number of dose reconstructions completed with employment 

during the period 105

Claims in evaluation period containing internal dosimetry 

records 25

Claims in evaluation period containing external dosimetry 

records 112

Previous Dose Reconstructions
 Health physics was the responsibility of SNL-L until 1989-94 

timeframe when SNL-A assumed responsibility

 NIOSH located minimal documentation of the practices and 

requirements during the evaluation period; in general, very 

little information regarding the program is available

 Documentation was kept at SNL-L and records have been 

transferred ad hoc over the past few decades (and still occurs 

as they find additional information)

Health Physics at SNL-L
 Broad spectrum of external hazards

• Photon exposures related to radiography, x-ray diffraction and 

materials characterization studies (from radioactive sources and from 

generators)

• Exposures (beta/photon) while working with thorium and uranium 

metals and compounds

• Neutron exposures from radiography sources and test, repair and 

research of neutron and x-ray detectors

• Exposures (beta/photon) while working with storage and packaging 

of waste materials

Potential External Radiological 

Exposures during the Class Period
 Materials and activities included

• Depleted uranium and alloys from machining

– Surrogates for test devices were fabricated on the order of 50-100 specimens per 

month for SNL-L activities

• Highly enriched uranium

• Thorium

• Preparation of samples for tests

• Gram quantities of tritium at the TRL and lesser amount in other 

facilities

Potential External Radiological 

Exposures during the Class Period–cont.
 Record retrieval and review significantly more complicated 

at SNL-L due to historic records storage practices 

• Some Health Physics records transferred to SNL-L, others 

have been transferred over time with little or no 

documentation of transfers 

• Provide very little or no information useful in selecting 

records for review 

• Available records are stored both California and New 

Mexico with little or no documentation of transfers

Availability of Records
 Availability of data remains significant concern for the 

Sandia sites

• November 2009 -NIOSH notified DOE about incomplete case 

responses for both Sandia sites (especially internal dosimetry data)

• January 2010 -NIOSH again requested SNL’s records of open cases 

• Backlog of cases shows difficulties faced by the site to obtain these 

records 

• DOE and SNL continue efforts to improve records searches and 

requests for claimant monitoring data

• NIOSH continues to provide feedback to both SNL-L and DOE about 

the availability of complete monitoring records

Personal Monitoring Data
 Unlike many DOE facilities, Sandia National Laboratory did not 

report the number of bioassay samples analyzed

 Based on interviews, it is thought to be a relatively small number 

of samples per year

 NIOSH has obtained copies of some bioassay records as part of 

its site data captures and claim data requests

 However, as with SNL-A, it is clear that Sandia is not able to 

produce all the records nor are they sure of how much should be 

there

Internal Dosimetry Data Availability
 NIOSH has identified numerous cases with data not 

provided by the site (similar to internal data) 

 NIOSH has provided the site with copies of all the data that 

we have retrieved; however, we are unable to: 

• Conclude that we have captured all the data

• Understand all the source terms to overcome the loss of 

personel monitoring data

External Monitoring Data
 Cannot bound internal or external doses from October 1, 1957 

through December 31, 1994 

• Lack of the availability of monitoring data, process information, and 

monitoring program information are insufficient to support estimation of the 

potential internal or external exposures to radiation and radioactive materials 

• Lack of internal monitoring program documentation and source term 

information data for the evaluated period

• Available records suggest only some workers participated in an internal 

dosimetry bioassay program while some workers only participated in an 

external dosimetry program

• Even if the additional records become available, NIOSH could not establish a 

bounding approach 

Dose Reconstruction Feasibility
“All employees of the Department of Energy, its 

predecessor agencies, and their contractors and 

subcontractors who worked in any area at Sandia 

National Laboratories-Livermore in Livermore, California, 

from October 1, 1957 through December 31, 1994, 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 

included in the Special Exposure Cohort ”

Recommended Class
 Although NIOSH found that it is not possible to completely reconstruct radiation 

doses for the proposed class, NIOSH intends to use any internal and external 

monitoring data that may become available for an individual claim (and that can be 

interpreted using existing NIOSH dose reconstruction processes or procedures)

 NIOSH finds that it is likely feasible to reconstruct occupational medical dose for 

Sandia National Laboratories-Livermore workers with sufficient accuracy up through 

1989. After 1989, medical X-rays are not applicable because they were performed 

offsite

 Therefore, dose reconstructions for individuals employed at Sandia National 

Laboratories-Livermore during the period from October 1, 1957 through December 

31, 1994, but who do not qualify for inclusion in the SEC, may be performed using 

these data as appropriate

Recommendation for Non-SEC Claims
Summary of Feasibility Findings for SEC-00214

(October 1, 1957 through December 31, 1994)

Sources of Exposure Reconstruction Feasible Reconstruction Not Feasible

Internal X

External X

 - Gamma X

 - Beta X

 - Neutron X

 - Occupational Medical

 X-ray

X

NIOSH Recommendation