Division of Compensation Analysis and 

Support 

Program Evaluation Report

Document Number: DCAS-PER-054 

Effective Date: 7/25/2014 

Revision No. 0

Carborundum Page 1 of 2 

Author: Signature on file 

Dave Allen, HP Team Leader

Date: 7/25/2014 

 

Supersedes: None

Approval: Signature on file 

J.W. Neton, Associate Director for Science

Date: 7/25/2014 

RECORD OF ISSUE/REVISIONS

ISSUE EFFECTIVE REV. NO. DESCRIPTION

AUTHORIZATION DATE

DATE

New document to determine the effect 

7/25/2014 7/25/2014 0 on previously completed claims due to 

changes in methods and covered period.

 

1.0 Description 

No Technical Basis Document was written for the Carborundum site. However, methods 

used in one dose reconstruction were often carried forward to the next as applicable. 

Many of these utilized the ORAUT-OTIB-00070 depletion factor. OTIB-0070 was 

revised on 3/5/2012 and this revision could affect previously completed Carborundum 

claims. Also, in 2009, the covered period for Carborundum was increased to include 

1943. 

2.0 Issue Evaluation 

The depletion factor in ORAUT-OTIB-0070 is used to estimate a reduction in 

contamination levels during the residual period. The revision to OTIB-0070 changed this 

factor so that the contamination is assumed to decrease more slowly. This causes an 

increase in the dose estimate in most years of the residual period. 

Also, the year 1943 was added to the covered period. For many of the Carborundum 

claims, the employment was originally verified by the Department of Labor outside the 

bounds of the covered period. In those situations, NIOSH only estimated dose during the 

covered period. With a change to the covered period, the NIOSH dose estimate would 

now have to be reconsidered. 

3.0 Plan for Resolution or Corrective Action 

With an extra year of exposure at the beginning of the covered period and every year of 

the residual period changing, virtually all Carborundum claims would be affected by the 

changes. Therefore, all claims completed prior to 3/5/2012 (revision to OTIB-0070) were 

reevaluated for this PER. Additionally, the nine claims completed since that date (with a 
Division of Compensation Analysis and 

Support

Program Evaluation Plan

Document Number: DCAS-PER-054

Effective Date: 7/25/2014 Revision No. 0 Page 2 of 2

probability of causation less than 50%) were reviewed to verify they did use the revised 

OTIB-0070 value. 

Fifty eight Carborundum claims were completed prior to 3/5/2012 that had a probability 

of causation below 50%. The dose for all 58 claims was recalculated using the revised 

OTIB-70 depletion factor and 1943 as a covered year (if applicable). As a result, 1 claim 

now had a probability of causation greater than 50%. Additionally, three claims had

probability of causations between 45% and 50%. For those claims, the IREP program 

was run 30 times at 10,000 iterations in accordance with NIOSH procedures. The 

probability of causation remained below 50% for two of those claims but exceeded 50% 

for one. The remaining 54 claims resulted in a probability of causation below 45%. 

NIOSH will provide the Department of Labor with the list of all the claims evaluated under 

this PER. Further, NIOSH will request the return of the two claims that would now result in 

a probability of causation greater than 50%.