NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) Testimony on the safety of nuclear facility workers by P. J. Bierbaum on April 22, 1985

Technical Report · Mon Apr 22 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6932224

The testimony concerned the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) activities related to the health and safety of workers employed at nuclear facilities. Three NIOSH studies were noted, including an evaluation in progress at the Feed Materials Production Center in Fernald, Ohio, a study of radiation exposure at the Goodyear Atomic Corporation (GAC) in Piketon, Ohio, and a study of deaths from cancer at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. In the first study the union representatives at the FMPC had several health and safety issues that they wanted NIOSH to evaluate. Additional requests have been made by the union at this facility in relation to reported uranium releases from the site. NIOSH recommended that all potentially exposed workers undergo bioassay testing to determine lung burdens of uranium. At GAC workers requested an evaluation because of exposure to radiation from uranium hexafluoride. Total mortality for radiation workers was significantly below that expected, including cancer deaths, even those from leukemia. Total mortality for nonradiation-exposed workers indicated an increase in the number of deaths due to leukemia. In a further study a significantly increased risk for workers whose cumulative lifetime exposure was at least 1.00 rem was noted for malignancies of the trachea, bronchus, or lung.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6932224
• Report Number(s): PB-90-179276/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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ACTINIDES
BODY
DISEASES
ELEMENTS
EPIDEMIOLOGY
FEDERAL REGION I
FEDERAL REGION V
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HEMIC DISEASES
IMMUNE SYSTEM DISEASES
INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE
LEUKEMIA
LUNGS
MAINE
MEDICINE
METALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NEOPLASMS
NIOSH
NORTH AMERICA
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
OHIO
ORGANS
PERSONNEL
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADIOINDUCTION
REACTORS
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
RISK ASSESSMENT
SAFETY
URANIUM
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA