If you have beryllium sensitivity, you are at a higher risk for developing chronic beryllium disease. You need annual check-ups with tests that are expensive. If you develop chronic beryllium disease, you might be disabled or die. It provides both medical benefits and lost wage protection for workers who suffer disability or death from chronic beryllium disease. For radiation, the situation is more complex.
Radiation is proven to cause cancer in high doses.
But when you look at a cancer tumor, you can't tell for sure whether it was caused by an alpha particle of radiation from the workplace, a molecule of a carcinogen in something you ate, or even a stray cosmic ray from outer space. But scientists can make a good estimate of the types of radiation doses that make it more likely than not that your cancer was caused by a workplace exposure. I would like to ask unanimous consent that a more detailed discussion of how the bill envisions these guidelines would be used be included as an exhibit at the end of my remarks. Without objection, it is so ordered. The HHS-based method will work for many of the workers at DOE sites.