DOE Sick Worker
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Cancer Claims and Dose Reconstruction Call to Action
If you worked at a Department of Energy site and are waiting for a cancer
claim through the Department of Labor, call Congress NOW! Tell them you
have waited long enough. Urge Congress to ask the National Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health, which is tasked with radiation dose
reconstructions, whether 5 years is reasonable to wait for a decision on a
claim.
Find your Senator at:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Find your Representative at:
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml
Widows, family members, the sick and dying have received letters of denial,
appealed, and still haven't heard anything. Many are being denied without a
clear explanation of why their doses were below the threshold for
compensation. Many do not appeal because the claim denial is unintelligible.
Oak Ridge Associated Universities, contracted by NIOSH, to reconstruct
radiation doses, has spent over $70 million in the past two years on 6,300
cases out of 17,800 received. According to DOL, only $141 million has been
paid in benefits.
At an Oak Ridge, TN 1998 public meeting, a DOE-HQ representative stated the
workers' radiation exposure records were "flawed and inadequate." At a
March 2000 Senate hearing, a Portsmouth Plant worker produced records,
showing his exposures records "zeroed out" after an accident, apparently
due to management concerns about workers compensation claims.
In December 2004, NIOSH held a meeting of the Radiation Advisory Board,
which they tried to keep secret. The transcript is now available at:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ocas/pdfs/abrwh/tc12134.pdf
Please go to page 36 and read about "inconsistency... calculational errors...
major errors... quality problems... complete breakdown in quality." Please be
sure to tell Congress about this meeting.
Claims must be re-examined. DOE workers, who contracted radiogenic cancers,
should be given the benefit of the doubt whether their cancers was caused
by their workplace. Exposure records were poorly kept and often not at all.
Our government acted quickly, paying an average of $1.8 million to the
September 11 families. Are their lives worth more than the workers who gave
their lives for our country's defense? These workers will only get $150,000
(or, in a VERY few cases, $400,000) and payment of some medical benefits.
What do you think?
For More Information Contact ANWAG Representatives:
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Janet Michel | 865-966-5918 | jrmichel@chartertn.net |
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Harry Williams | 865-693-7249 | harry.william2@worldnet.att.net |
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Janine Anderson | 865-984-0786 | jbean27300@aol.com |
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Terrie Barrie | 970-824-2260 | tbarrie@yahoo.com |
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Inga Olson | 925-443-7148 | olsoning@yahoo.com |
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Denise Brock | 636-366-4428 | dbrock@alwayson-line.net |
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