NIOSH Dose Reconstruction 

Project Meeting 

On Weldon Spring Profile 

Final Minutes 1 of 4 10/27/2005 

Meeting Date: 

February 2, 2005 

Meeting with: 

St. Louis Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO 

Mr. Jerry Feldhaus, the Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Council, had agreed to host a 

brief presentation on the Weldon Spring Site Profile during their regular monthly meeting. 

Approximately 65 people were in attendance; of those, the following chose to sign in as the 

sheets circulated. 

Attendees: 

Pat Kellett P&P Local 562 

Mark Selby Insulators Local 1 

Mike Grady P&P Local 562 

Brian Chomy P&P Local 562 

Frank Scimo Glaziers Local 513 

Vincent M. Todt Elevator Constructors 

Fred Littrell Teamsters Local 682 

Bob Stanton Roofers Local 2 

Jim Hunnios Tile, Marble and Terrazzo Workers Local 18 

John Clark IBEW Local 1 

Mike Garavaglia IBEW Local 1 

Michael R. Mahler Sprinkler Fitters Local 268 

Gary Broccard Operating Engineers Local 513 

NIOSH and ORAU Team Representatives: 

Tom Tomes – National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Office of 

Compensation Analysis and Support (OCAS) 

William Murray – Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) 

Mark Lewis – Advanced Technologies and Laboratories International Inc. (ATL) 

Dawn Catalano – ATL 

Proceedings 

Two presentations had been scheduled prior to the NIOSH/ORAU presentation, so for the sake 

of brevity, an overview was given without the customary visual aids. Mr. Lewis opened the 

discussion at approximately 10:30 a.m. by thanking the Council for allowing the team to be part 

of their regular meeting. He explained that as a union member, he had become involved to give 

labor a voice in the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act 

(EEOICPA). He said that having accurate information in the Site Profile is vital since it is used 

as a technical guide in dose reconstruction. 

Mr. Lewis said that one perceived problem with the program was that the Site Profiles left out 

the people who were on the ground, doing the work. He said that this presentation was intended 
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Project Meeting 

On Weldon Spring Profile 

Final Minutes 2 of 4 10/27/2005 

to give labor a means to provide input about their experiences at the Weldon Spring Plant. He 

then introduced the NIOSH/ORAU team and asked Mr. Tomes for opening comments. 

Mr. Tomes explained that the principal basis that NIOSH has to perform a dose reconstruction is 

the radiation dose record from the employer; but that information needs to be supplemented. 

NIOSH realizes that workers probably received more dose than what appears in the records, and 

NIOSH is asking workers to contribute information to help produce a more accurate Site Profile. 

Mr. Tomes explained that the Site Profile team is currently engaged in the information gathering 

process to get the best exposure information possible. He stressed the importance of any 

information the workers could provide, especially in the current stage of gathering information 

for the Site Profile. He then turned the floor over to Mr. Murray. 

Mr. Murray also thanked the attendees for allowing the outreach team to give the presentation at 

the Council’s meeting. He provided information regarding the eligibility for compensation under 

EEOICPA. He explained that claims are more complicated for building trades workers since 

there is less documentation to show the required length of employment. 

Mr. Murray stated that the team was only there to discuss the radiation section of EEOICPA. 

When a claim is submitted for a radiation-induced cancer, NIOSH performs a reconstruction of 

the claimant’s dose to determine if the probability is 50% or higher that radiation exposure 

caused the cancer. 

Mr. Murray said that the Site Profile considers external, internal, environmental, and medical 

components of workers’ radiation exposure. Information about the plant’s historical operations 

is useful in dose reconstruction. This includes sources of radiation, activities and operations, the 

buildings onsite, as well as accidents and incidents. Sources of radiation, types of badges and 

monitoring systems used, and the distribution methods are considered in reconstructing workers’ 

external dose. Records that show the monitoring methods to measure how much radioactive 

material workers breathed in, and the results, as well as air monitoring records, are used to 

reconstruct the internal dose. Potential environmental doses from radiation sources on site are 

also counted for workers who may not have been monitored. Construction workers do not 

typically receive a medical dose since they were generally not required to have chest x rays as a 

condition of employment. 

Mr. Murray asked the group to provide any potential leads on records or information sources that 

could be useful for the Site Profile development. He encouraged those present to refer anyone 

who might want to discuss their experiences to the team members. He directed everyone’s 

attention to the last page of the handout, and explained that NIOSH and ORAU were attempting 

to match up codes to job descriptions on the list. He said any information that anyone could 

provide would be appreciated. 

Discussion Session 

Question: 

What period of time does the Site Profile cover? 
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On Weldon Spring Profile 

Final Minutes 3 of 4 10/27/2005 

William Murray: 

The Site Profile covers the years that operations included any weapons related work. It has 

been determined that this was mostly between 1957 and 1967. The Profile also includes the 

remediation efforts that were started in 1975 and continue to the present. 

Question: 

Around 1963, there was work going on related to the manufacture of Agent Orange. The 

plant shut down shortly after that work was done. Is this the kind of information you are 

looking for? 

William Murray: 

NIOSH and ORAU only work on Subtitle B in connection with radiation; Agent Orange 

would fall under Subtitle E, which covers chemical exposure if it was produced in a facility 

operated by DOE. But, this was probably an Army project and would not be covered under 

EEOICPA. 

Comment: 

The plant was still taking urine tests after they completed the radiation work. Each of the 

unions represented here include workers who worked out at Weldon Spring and got cancer. 

Some have already died. 

William Murray: 

Survivors can also file claims. It can be difficult for building trades because the records 

don’t always say where the worker was assigned, but co-worker data or affidavits can be 

used to verify employment. 

Question: 

What about remediation and clean up workers? Are they covered under this Act and eligible 

to file claims? 

Answer: 

In terms of radiation exposure, the remediation and clean up workers are eligible. The more 

information they can provide to show potential exposures, the better for their case. 

Comment: 

Laborers Local 660 handled that job, and they are not represented in this Council. The 

contact for information regarding the details of the work they did is Perry Prior. 

Question: 

How long will the opportunity to file a claim last? There are workers who were in the plant 

in their twenties during the timeframe you mentioned who now have cancer. Is it too late for 

them to file a claim? 

William Murray: 

There is no time limit to file a claim from a DOE plant. People who are still working can file 

a claim ten years from now if they are diagnosed with cancer. The best course of action for 

any worker is to document their work assignments and claim information with their union. 

About 200 cases have been filed for workers at Weldon Spring. So dose reconstructions 
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Project Meeting 

On Weldon Spring Profile 

Final Minutes 4 of 4 10/27/2005 

have been done for 40 cases and 23 cases have a probability of causation greater than fifty 

percent (the cancer is more than likely associated with the worker’s radiation dose).

Question: 

Did NIOSH and ORAU prepare the initial Site Profile? What information was used as a 

source? 

William Murray: 

NIOSH and ORAU used dose records from the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and 

DOE. The Team does not think records were kept on construction workers, so they need you 

to tell us where you worked and what kinds of materials were present. 

Question: 

Did DOE or the plant require baseline medical information to track progressive illness? 

William Murray: 

The Team has not found any information to suggest that. 

Mr. Murray asked if anyone else had any questions or comments. He said that if the Team 

returned for a meeting with Laborers Local 660 after contacting their leadership, they could also 

schedule a follow up meeting with the Building Trades Council to go into more detail. He also 

advised the participants that the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health was going to 

meet in St. Louis on February 7-9, 2005, and would have a public comment session during their 

meeting. He explained that the Advisory Board was in place to oversee the program and ensure 

that NIOSH and ORAU were meeting the requirements. He encouraged everyone to attend for 

more information on the program. 

Mr. Murray closed at approximately 11:15 a.m. by thanking the Council and the attendees, and 

said that they could get information regarding the program from Mr. Feldhaus.