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ADVISORY BoARD ON RADIAnON AND WORKER -'676 ColUJDbiaParkway, MS: C-'6 Cincinnati, Ohio 45226 (513)533-6825
lEAL rn
January17,2007
CHAIRMAN: Paul L. Ziemer, Ph.D. Lafayette, Indiana
MEMBERS: Bradley P. Clawson Rexburg,ldaho Michael H. Gibson Franklin, Ohio
Mark A. Griffon Salem, New Hampshire
The HonorableMichael o. Leavitt Secretary Healthand HumanServices of Department Healthand HumanServices of 200 Independence Avenue,S.W . Washington,DC 20201 DearMr. Secretary The Advisory Boardon Radiationand Worker Health (The Board)has evaluated SECPetition-OOOM concerningworkersat the GeneralAtomics Torrey PinesMesafacility in La Jolla, California underthe statutory requirements established EEOICP and incorporated by A into 42 CFR Sec. 83.13 and 42 CFR Sec.83.14. The Boardrespectfullyrecommends a SpecialExposureCohort (SEC) be accorded all A WE employees to who were monitoredor shouldhavebeenmonitoredfor exposure ionizing to radiation while working at the following GeneralAtomics locations:Science LabomtoriesA, B, and C andexperimentalarea(Building 2); Experimental Building (Building 9); Maintenance (Building 10); ServiceBuilding (Building 11); Buildings 21 and 22; Hot Cell Facility (Building 23); Waste Yard (Buildings 25 and 26); ExperimentalArea (Buildings 27 and 27-1); LINAC Complex(Building 30); HTGR-TCF (Building 31); Fusion Building (Building 33); FusionDoubletIII (Building 34); SV-A (Building 37); SV-B (Building 39); and SV-D (no building number)for a numberof work daysaggregating least250 work daysfrom January1, 1960, at throughDecember 1969,or in combinationwith work dayswithin the 31, parameters established one or more otherclasses employees the for of in SEC.This classdoesnot include the following buildings at that location: TechnicalOffice Building (Building 13); TechnicalOffice EastBuilding #1 (Building 14); and TechnicalOffice EastBuilding #2 (Building 15). The Board notesthat althoughNIOSH found that it is unableto completely reconstruct radiationdosesfor theseemployees, NIOSH believesthat it is able to reconstruct externaldoseand components the internaldose the of (thosefrom uraniwn and tritium for sometime periods),andtherefore individuals with non-preswnptive cancers may be considered partial for dosereconstructions. This recommendation basedon the following factors: is
Jam.. E. Lockey, M.D. Cincinnati, Ohio
James M. Melius, M.D., Ph.D.
Albany, New York
Wanda I. Munn
Richland. Washington
John W. Poston, Sr., Ph.D. College Station, Texas RobertW. Presley Clinton, Tennessee GenevieveS. Roessler, Ph.D,
Elysian, Minnesota
STAFF: EXECU11VE SECRETARY: Lewis V. Wade, Ph.D
Washington, DC
COMMITTEE MANAGEMENT: LaShewn D. Shields Atlanta, Georgia
The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt
Jan. 17, 2007
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Peopleworking in the abovelisted areas the GeneralAtomics facility in La Joll~ of California wereexposed radiationfrom uranium,thorium, plutonium,andother to radioactivematerialswhile perfonningtasksfor the Atomic EnergyCommission. In reviewing the availablemonitoring and otherdatafor theseoperations, NIOSH found that it did not haveaccess sufficient information,including ~nnel to dosimetry,workplace monitoring data,or sufficient process radiologicalsourceinfonnation,that would allow and it to estimatewith sufficient accuracythe internal radiationdosesfrom thorium and some other radionuclideexposures GeneralAtomic employees the time period January1, for for 1960throughDecember 1969.The Board concurswith this detennination. 31, NIOSH detentlinedthat healthmay havebeenendangered the workersexposed for to radiationin the abovelisted areas the GeneralAtomics facility in La Jolla, California of within the time period in question.The Board concurswith this detennination.
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Enclosed supportingdocumentation is from the recentAdvisory BoardMeeting held in Naperville, Illinois and ~m the Boardmeetingby conference on January11,2007 wherethis special call exposure cohort wasdiscussed.If any of theseitemsareunavailableat this time, they wilJ folJow shortly. Sincerely,
""'~~~PaulL. Ziemer, Ph.D. Chairman
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