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

October 25, 2017

The Honorable Eric D. Hargan

Acting Secretary 

Department of Health and Human Services

200 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20201

Dear Acting Secretary Hargan: 

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

evaluated SEC Petition-00238 concerning workers at the Idaho National 

Laboratory under the statutory requirements established by 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 their contractors and subcontractors who worked at the 

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in Scoville, Idaho, and who were 

monitored for external radiation at the Idaho Chemical Processing 

Plant (CPP) (e.g., at least one film badge or TLD dosimeter from CPP) 

between January 1, 1975, and December 31, 1980, for a number of 

work days aggregating at least 250 work days, occurring 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: 

• The primary function of the INL CPP during the period in question

was processing spent fuel elements containing enriched uranium

in order to recover un-fissioned uranium.

• Principal sources of internal radiation for members of the proposed

class may have included exposures to uranium, mixed fission and

activation products (MFP/MAP), exotic radionuclides (produced

from, or as a result of, reactor neutron irradiation), and transuranic

radionuclides. Potential exposures would likely be from inhalation

and ingestion during processing operations.

• Routine monitoring of potential internal intakes of radionuclides

was limited during this time period.

• 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 doses from exposure to

transuranic radionuclides, to which employees working at this

facility may have been subjected. The Board concurs with this

determination.
Page 2 

NIOSH determined that health may have been endangered for the workers from chronic 

intakes to radionuclides during the time period in question. The Board also concurs with this 

determination. 

Based on these considerations and the discussions held at our August 23 to 24, 2017, 

Advisory Board meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico, 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