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

March 28, 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 00174 concerning workers at the Wah 

Chang facility in Albany, Oregon, under the statutory requirements established 

by the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Act of 2000 

(EEOICPA) and incorporated into 42 CFR Sec. 83.13. The Board respectfully 

recommends that SEC status be accorded to all Atomic Weapons Employer 

(AWE) employees who worked in any building at the Wah Chang facility in 

Albany Oregon, for the operational period from January 1, 1971 through 

December 31, 1972, 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:

• People working at Wah Chang during the time period in question 

worked on the processing of uranium for the production of nuclear 

weapons.

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

review of available monitoring data, as well as process and source 

term information for various production activities at Wah Chang, 

found that it lacked adequate information necessary to complete 

individual dose reconstruction with sufficient accuracy for internal 

and external doses from exposures to thorium and thorium byproducts during the time period in question. The Board concurs with 

this determination.

• NIOSH determined that health may have been endangered for these 

Wah Chang facility workers during the time period in question. The 

Board also concurs with this determination. 

NIOSH has recommended that dose reconstructions are feasible for workers at 

the Wah Chang facility in Albany, Oregon, for the subsequent residual 

contamination period from January 1, 1973 through October 31, 2009. NIOSH 
The Secretary March 28, 2011

found that it has access to adequate exposure monitoring and other information necessary to 

do individual dose reconstructions with sufficient accuracy for members of this group, and 

therefore a class covering this group should not be added to the SEC.

Based on these considerations and the discussion at the February 23-25, 2011 Board meeting 

held in Augusta, Georgia, the Board recommends that the class covering all AWE employees 

who worked at Wah Chang from January 1, 1971 through December 31, 1972 be added to the 

SEC.

Enclosed is the documentation from the Board meeting(s) where this Special Exposure Cohort 

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