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

July 8, 2011

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 

Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) Petition 00162 concerning workers at the 

Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, under the statutory 

requirements established by the Energy Employees Occupational Illness 

Compensation Program Act of 2000 (EEOICPA) 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 its contractors and subcontractors who worked in any 

area at the Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New 

Mexico, from January 1, 1949 through December 31, 1962, 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 SEC." 

This recommendation is based on the following factors:

• Individuals working at Sandia National Laboratories during the time 

period in question worked on nuclear weapons production and related 

operations. 

• The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 

review of both available monitoring data as well as available process 

and source term information for various production activities at Sandia 

National Laboratories found that NIOSH lacked adequate information 

necessary to complete individual dose reconstructions with sufficient 

accuracy for internal radiological exposures to plutonium, tritium, and 

other radionuclides during the time period in question. The Board 

concurs with this determination.
The Secretary July 8, 2011

• NIOSH determined that health may have been endangered for these Sandia National 

Laboratories employees during the time period in question. The Board also concurs 

with this determination.

Based on these considerations and the discussion at the May 24-26, 2011 Board meeting held 

in St. Louis, Missouri, 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 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, ABRWH

Enclosure