The Energy Department said about 4,000 of the 600,000 people who worked in the federal weapons complex during the Cold War might qualify for benefits. Beryllium is a deadly metal that was used in nuclear weapons production.
Exposure can cause an incurable lung disease.
The new financial estimate also assumed Congress would give compensation only to sick workers with at least one year of employment in the nuclear weapons complex, and that Congress would approve a list of eligible cancers. While the new cost estimate circulated on Capitol Hill, private negotiations concerning ways to additionally economize any new compensation program continued. The House on Thursday is scheduled to conduct its first hearing on whether there should be a compensation program. Dr. David Michaels, the Energy Department's top health official, said he thought the hearing would help build support for conference committee action. Negotiators on Wednesday were trying to find a way to trim some other part of the federal budget so they could guarantee permanent, full funding of benefits for the nuclear workers.