Letter from Glenn Bell to The Oak Ridger
November 24, 2004

To The Oak Ridger:

If the proposed preservation efforts for part of the K-25 site becomes a
reality, it should not be done without a recognition of the sacrifice of
workers who contributed to the plant's history.

To date, over 5,500 claims for compensation have been filed for illnesses
and deaths related to work at the former gaseous diffusion plant. In all,
13,749 claims have been filed from covered Oak Ridge operations.

This is as if half of Oak Ridge's current population has enough
documentation of work-related illness to file a claim. Nationwide, the
claims total now exceeds 60,000. Put in perspective, this is more than the
number of fatalities in Vietnam.

Incidents and accidents continue to happen, so this trend is far from over.
The suffering, loss of life - and quality of life - of these workers should
not be forgotten.

I would formally ask that any preservation efforts include a memorial to
the victims of our winning of the Cold War.

Glenn Bell
Beryllium Victims Alliance
Oak Ridge