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Hanford

(Site Profile/Docket Number 016)

Location: Richland, Washington

Also Known As: Hanford Engineer Works (HEW)

Special Exposure Cohort Petition Information

The Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) is a unique category of employees established by The Act (42 CFR Part 83). Claims compensated under the SEC do not have to go through the dose reconstruction process. To qualify for compensation under the SEC, a covered employee must meet specific requirements (e.g., must have at least one of 22 “specified cancers,” and have worked for a specified time period at one of the SEC sites). Classes of employees and work sites can be considered for addition to the SEC through a NIOSH petition process. More information about the Special Exposure Cohort can be found on our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Open/Active SEC Petitions

There is one open/active SEC petition from Hanford (Petition 57).

Class(es) Added to the SEC

  • Employees of the Department of Energy (DOE), its predecessor agencies, or DOE contractors or subcontractors who were monitored or should have been monitored for internal radiological exposures while working at the Hanford Engineer Works in: the 300 Area fuel fabrication and research facilities from October 1, 1943 through August 31, 1946; the 200 Area plutonium separation facilities from November 1, 1944 through August 31, 1946; or the 100 B, D, and F reactor areas from September 1, 1944 through August 31, 1946; for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees in the Special Exposure Cohort.

    Note: This class was established from Petition 57

  • Employees of the Department of Energy (DOE), its predecessor agencies, and DOE contractors or subcontractors who worked from September 1, 1946 through December 31, 1961 in the 300 area, or January 1, 1949 through December 31, 1968 in the 200 areas (East and West) at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Richland, Washington, for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days occurring either solely under this employment or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees in the Special Exposure Cohort.

    Note: This class was established from Petition 57

  • All employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, and its contractors and subcontractors who worked at the Hanford site in Richland, Washington, from October 1, 1943 through June 30, 1972, for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, occurring either solely under this employment or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees included in the Special Exposure Cohort.

    Note: This class was established from Petition 152

  • All employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, and their contractors and subcontractors who worked at the Hanford Engineer Works in Richland, Washington, from July 1, 1972, through December 31, 1983, for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, occurring either solely under this employment or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees included in the Special Exposure Cohort.

    Note: This class was established from Petition 201

  • All employees of Department of Energy contractors and subcontractors (excluding employees of the following Hanford prime contractors during the specified time periods: Battelle Memorial Institute, January 1, 1984, through December 31, 1990; Rockwell Hanford Operations, January 1, 1984, through June 28, 1987; Boeing Computer Services Richland, January 1, 1984, through June 28, 1987; UNC Nuclear Industries, January 1, 1984, through June 28, 1987; Westinghouse Hanford Company, January 1, 1984, through December 31, 1990; and Hanford Environmental Health Foundation, January 1, 1984, through December 31, 1990), who worked at the Hanford site in Richland, Washington, during the period from January 1, 1984, through December 31, 1990, for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, occurring either solely under this employment, or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees included in the Special Exposure Cohort.

    Note: This class was established from Petition 226

Classes Not Added to the SEC

  • All personnel who were internally monitored (urine or fecal), who worked at the Plutonium Finishing Plant in the 200 Area at the Hanford site, from January 1, 1987, through December 31, 1989

    Note: This class was established from Petition 155

Petitions Qualified for Evaluation

Below is a list of the petitions that qualified for evaluation. Select a petition on the list to view the table for that particular petition.

Petitions

Petition 50 (1943 to Sep 1, 1946)

Petition 50
Steps in Petition Process: Petition Details:
Date Received

 

 January 12, 2006

 
Date Qualified for Evaluation

 

 November 9, 2006

 

Summary of Information in Petition

Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All former Du Pont Production workers in the 100 area and 300 area from January 1943 through September 1, 1946, and all 200 area production workers and all Guards and construction workers from December 1944 through September 1, 1946.

Period of Employment: January 1943 through September 1, 1946 or December 1944 through September 1, 1946

Note: The information above is what qualified for evaluation. During our evaluation of whether dose reconstructions can adequately be completed for the above job titles and period of employment, information may cause NIOSH to change some the dates or job titles/duties. Therefore, as this petition proceeds through the SEC petition process and if an SEC class is proposed, the proposed class may not exactly match the above information.

Copy of the Petition Received

Hanford Petition

Federal Register Notice Announcing that a Hanford SEC Petition has met the Minimum Qualifications for Review and Evaluation

January 19, 2007 [42 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1943 through September 1, 1946

SEC Petition Evaluation Report

Please see Petition 57

Evaluation Report Sent to the Advisory Board

Please see Petition 57

Petition Discussed by the Advisory Board

Please see Petition 57

Advisory Board Recommendation on SEC Petition

Please see Petition 57

HHS Letters to Congress Regarding the SEC Petition

Please see Petition 57

HHS Designation of Additional Members to the SEC

Please see Petition 57

Federal Register Notice: Designation/Determination Regarding a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort

Please see Petition 57

Effective Date for the SEC Class

Please see Petition 57

Federal Register Notice: Final Effect of Designation of a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort

Please see Petition 57

Letter to DOL Regarding the Addition of a New Class of Employees to the SEC

Please see Petition 57

Petition 57 (Jan 2, 1942 to Dec 31, 1990)

Petition 57
Steps in Petition Process: Petition Details:
Date Received March 13, 2006
Date Qualified for Evaluation November 21, 2006
Summary of Information in Petition Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All employees

Period of Employment: January 2, 1942 through December 31, 1990

Note: The information above is what qualified for evaluation. During our evaluation of whether dose reconstructions can adequately be completed for the above job titles and period of employment, information may cause NIOSH to change some the dates or job titles/duties. Therefore, as this petition proceeds through the SEC petition process and if an SEC class is proposed, the proposed class may not exactly match the above information.
Copy of the Petition Received Hanford Petition
Federal Register Notice Announcing that a Hanford SEC Petition has met the Minimum Qualifications for Review and Evaluation

December 8, 2006 [42 KB (1 page)]
(January 2, 1942 through December 31, 1990)

January 19, 2007 [71 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1943 through September 1, 1946; and December 1, 1944 through December 1, 1946)

March 1, 2007 [57 KB (1 page)]
(April 25, 1967 through February 1, 1971)

SEC Petition Evaluation Report

Revised March 31, 2008 [3.2 MB (110 pages)]
(September 1, 1946 through December 31, 1968)
Evaluation Report Sent to the Advisory Board April 1, 2008
Petition Discussed by the Advisory Board The petition was discussed by the Advisory Board during its regular meeting on July 19, 2007; October 4, 2007; and April 8, 2008.

Note: Agendas and transcripts for Board meetings will be posted on the Advisory Board and Public Meetings page as soon as they become available.
Advisory Board Recommendation on SEC Petition August 9, 2007 [86 KB (2 pages)]
(October 1, 1943 through August 31, 1946)

April 30, 2008 [484 KB (2 pages)]
(September 1, 1946 through December 31, 1968)
HHS Letters to Congress Regarding the SEC Petition September 12, 2007 [297 KB (6 pages)]
(October 1, 1943 through August 31, 1946)

May 30, 2008 [81 KB (7 pages)]
(September 1, 1946 through December 31, 1968)
HHS Designation/Determination of Additional Members to the SEC Designations:

Note: A “designation” will be published if there is a recommendation to add a class to the SEC. A “determination” will be published if there is a recommendation not to add a class to the SEC.
Federal Register Notice: Designation/Determination Regarding a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort Designations:

Note: A “designation” will be published if there is a recommendation to add a class to the SEC. A “determination” will be published if there is a recommendation not to add a class to the SEC.
Effective Date for the SEC Class

October 12, 2007
(October 1, 1943 through August 31, 1946)

June 29, 2008
(September 1, 1946 through December 31, 1968)

Note: this only applies if the class is added to the SEC.
Federal Register Notice: Final Effect of Designation of a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort October 29, 2007 [48 KB (2 pages)] (October 1, 1943 through August 31, 1946)

July 18, 2008 [46 KB (2 pages)]
(September 1, 1946 through December 31, 1968)
Letter to DOL Regarding the Addition of a New Class of Employees to the SEC October 19, 2007 [210 KB (1 page)]
(October 1, 1943 through August 31, 1946)

July 2, 2008 [24 KB (2 pages)]
(September 1, 1946 through December 31, 1968)

Petition 78 (Apr 25, 1967 to Feb 1, 1971)

Petition 78
Steps in Petition Process: Petition Details:

Date Received

November 7, 2006

Date Qualified for Evaluation

February 27, 2007

Summary of Information in Petition

Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All roving maintenance carpenters and apprentice carpenters who worked in the 100, 200, 300, and 400 Areas

Period of Employment: April 25, 1967 through February 1, 1971

Note: The information above is what qualified for evaluation. During our evaluation of whether dose reconstructions can adequately be completed for the above job titles and period of employment, information may cause NIOSH to change some the dates or job titles/duties. Therefore, as this petition proceeds through the SEC petition process and if an SEC class is proposed, the proposed class may not exactly match the above information.

Copy of the Petition Received

Hanford Petition

Hanford SEC Petition for April 25, 1967 through February 1, 1971 [2.5 MB (67 pages)]

Federal Register Notice Announcing that a Hanford SEC Petition has met the Minimum Qualifications for Review and Evaluation

March 1, 2007 [44 KB (1 page)]
(April 25, 1967 through February 1, 1971)

SEC Petition Evaluation Report

Please see Petition 57

Evaluation Report Sent to the Advisory Board

Please see Petition 57

Petition Discussed by the Advisory Board

Please see Petition 57

Advisory Board Recommendation on SEC Petition

Please see Petition 57

HHS Letters to Congress Regarding the SEC Petition

Please see Petition 57

HHS Designation of Additional Members to the SEC

Please see Petition 57

Federal Register Notice: Designation Regarding a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort

Please see Petition 57

Effective Date for the SEC Class

Please see Petition 57

Federal Register Notice: Final Effect of Designation of a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort

Please see Petition 57

Letter to DOL Regarding the Addition of a New Class of Employees to the SEC

Please see Petition 57

Petition 152 (Oct 1, 1943 to Jun 30, 1972)

Note: A “designation” will be published if there is a recommendation to add a class to the SEC. A “determination” will be published if there is a recommendation not to add a class to the SEC.

Petition 152
Steps in Petition Process: Petition Details:
Date Received September 8, 2009
Date Qualified for Evaluation September 8, 2009
Summary of Information in Petition Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, and its contractors and subcontractors

Period of Employment: October 1, 1943 through June 30, 1972

Note: The information above is what qualified for evaluation. During our evaluation of whether dose reconstructions can adequately be completed for the above job titles and period of employment, information may cause NIOSH to change some the dates or job titles/duties. Therefore, as this petition proceeds through the SEC petition process and if an SEC class is proposed, the proposed class may not exactly match the above information.
Copy of the Petition Received Hanford SEC Petition for October 1, 1943 through June 30, 1972 [150 KB (2 pages)]
Federal Register Notice Announcing that a Hanford SEC Petition has met the Minimum Qualifications for Review and Evaluation October 1, 2009 [51 KB (2 pages)]
(October 1, 1943 through June 30, 1972)
SEC Petition Evaluation Report September 28, 2009 [300 KB (41 pages)]
(October 1, 1943 through June 30, 1972)
Evaluation Report Sent to the Advisory Board October 9, 2009
Petition Discussed by the Advisory Board The petition was discussed by the Advisory Board on October 20, 2009, during its regular meeting.

Note: Agendas and transcripts for Board meetings will be posted on the Advisory Board and Public Meetings page as soon as they become available.
Advisory Board Recommendation on SEC Petition November 16, 2009 [28 KB (2 pages)]
(October 1, 1943 through June 30, 1972)
HHS Letters to Congress Regarding the SEC Petition December 10, 2009 [77 KB (10 pages)]
(October 1, 1943 through June 30, 1972)
HHS Designation of Additional Members to the SEC December 10, 2009 [30 KB (5 pages)]
(October 1, 1943 through June 30, 1972)
Federal Register Notice: Designation Regarding a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort December 30, 2009 [40 KB (1 page)]
(October 1, 1943 through June 30, 1972)
Effective Date for the SEC Class January 9, 2010
Federal Register Notice: Final Effect of Designation of a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort January 21, 2010 [40 KB (1 page)]
(October 1, 1943 through June 30, 1972)
Letter to DOL Regarding the Addition of a New Class of Employees to the SEC January 12, 2010 [18 KB (1 page)]
(October 1, 1943 through June 30, 1972)

Petition 155 (Jan 1, 1987 to Dec 31, 1989)

Petition 155
Steps in Petition Process: Petition Details:

Date Received

November 10, 2009

Date Qualified for Evaluation

April 29, 2010

Summary of Information in Petition

Location: Richland, Washington

Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All personnel who were internally monitored (urine or fecal), who worked at the Plutonium Finishing Plant in the 200 Area

Period of Employment: January 1, 1987 through December 31, 1989

Note: The information above is what qualified for evaluation. During our evaluation of whether dose reconstructions can adequately be completed for the above job titles and period of employment, information may cause NIOSH to change some the dates or job titles/duties. Therefore, as this petition proceeds through the SEC petition process and if an SEC class is proposed, the proposed class may not exactly match the above information.

Copy of the Petition Received

Hanford SEC Petition (January 1, 1987 through December 31, 1989) [1.2 MB KB (36 pages)]

Federal Register Notice Announcing that a Hanford SEC Petition has met the Minimum Qualifications for Review and Evaluation

May 6, 2010 [40 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990)

SEC Petition Evaluation Report

Approved April 29, 2011 [252 KB (58 pages)]
(January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990)

Evaluation Report Sent to the Advisory Board

May 16, 2011

Petition Discussed by the Advisory Board

The petition was discussed by the Advisory Board on May 25, 2011, August 24, 2011, and September 18, 2012, during its regular meetings.

Note: Agendas and transcripts for Board meetings will be posted on the Advisory Board and Public Meetings page as soon as they become available.

Advisory Board Recommendation on SEC Petition

January 31, 2013 [32 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990)

HHS Letters to Congress Regarding the SEC Petition

March 6, 2013 [66 KB (9 pages)]
(January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990)

HHS Designation/Determination of Additional Members to the SEC

 Determination

March 6, 2013 [39 KB (4 pages)]
(January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990)

Federal Register Notice: Designation/Determination Regarding a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort

 Determination

March 26, 2013 [73 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990)

Note: A “designation” will be published if there is a recommendation to add a class to the SEC. A “determination” will be published if there is a recommendation not to add a class to the SEC.

Effective Date for the SEC Class

Not available at this time.

Federal Register Notice: Final Effect of Designation of a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort

Not available at this time.

Letter to DOL Regarding the Addition of a New Class of Employees to the SEC

Not available at this time.

Petition 201 (Jul 1, 1972 to Dec 31, 1983)

Petition 201
Steps in Petition Process: Petition Details:
Date Received May 3, 2012
Date Qualified for Evaluation May 8, 2012
Summary of Information in Petition Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, and its contractors and subcontractors

Period of Employment: July 1, 1972 to December 31, 1983

Note: The information above is what qualified for evaluation. During our evaluation of whether dose reconstructions can adequately be completed for the above job titles and period of employment, information may cause NIOSH to change some the dates or job titles/duties. Therefore, as this petition proceeds through the SEC petition process and if an SEC class is proposed, the proposed class may not exactly match the above information.
Copy of the Petition Received Hanford Petition [267 KB (3 pages)]
Federal Register Notice Announcing that a Hanford SEC Petition has met the Minimum Qualifications for Review and Evaluation May 18, 2012 [51 KB (1 page)]
(July 1, 1972 through December 31, 1983)
SEC Petition Evaluation Report June 1, 2012 [616 KB (48 pages)]
(July 1, 1972 through December 31, 1983)
Evaluation Report Sent to the Advisory Board June 4, 2012
Petition Discussed by the Advisory Board The petition was discussed by the Advisory Board on June 19, 2012, during its regular meeting.

Note: Agendas and transcripts for Board meetings will be posted on the Advisory Board and Public Meetings page as soon as they become available.
Advisory Board Recommendation on SEC Petition July 27, 2012 [299 KB (2 pages)]
(July 1, 1972 through December 31, 1983)
HHS Letters to Congress Regarding the SEC Petition August 23, 2012 [451 KB (10 pages)]
(July 1, 1972 through December 31, 1983)
HHS Designation of Additional Members to the SEC August 23, 2012 [42 KB (5 pages)]
(July 1, 1972 through December 31, 1983)
Federal Register Notice: Designation Regarding a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort September 20, 2012 [47 KB (1 page)]
(July 1, 1972 through December 31, 1983)

Note: A “designation” will be published if there is a recommendation to add a class to the SEC. A “determination” will be published if there is a recommendation not to add a class to the SEC.
Effective Date for the SEC Class September 22, 2012
Federal Register Notice: Final Effect of Designation of a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort October 3, 2012 [58 KB (2 pages)]
(July 1, 1972 through December 31, 1983)
Letter to DOL Regarding the Addition of a New Class of Employees to the SEC September 28, 2012 [40 KB (1 page)]
(July 1, 1972 through December 31, 1983)

Petition 226 (Jan 1, 1984 to Dec 31, 1990)

 

Petition 226
Steps in Petition Process: Petition Details:
Date Received March 13, 2015
Date Qualified for Evaluation March 17, 2015
Summary of Information in Petition Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All employees of Department of Energy contractors and subcontractors (excluding employees of the following Hanford prime contractors during the specified time periods: Battelle Memorial Institute, January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990; Rockwell Hanford Operations, January 1, 1984 through June 28, 1987; Boeing Computer Services Richland, January 1, 1984 through June 28, 1987; UNC Nuclear Industries, January 1, 1984 through June 28, 1987; Westinghouse Hanford Company, January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990; and Hanford Environmental Health Foundation, January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990).

Period of Employment: July 1, 1984 to December 31, 1990

Note: The information above is what qualified for evaluation. During our evaluation of whether dose reconstructions can adequately be completed for the above job titles and period of employment, information may cause NIOSH to change some the dates or job titles/duties. Therefore, as this petition proceeds through the SEC petition process and if an SEC class is proposed, the proposed class may not exactly match the above information.
Copy of the Petition Received March 13, 2015 [243 KB (2 pages)]
(January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990)
Federal Register Notice Announcing that a Hanford SEC Petition has met the Minimum Qualifications for Review and Evaluation March 25, 2015 [157 KB (2 page)]
(January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990)
SEC Petition Evaluation Report March 16, 2015 [594 KB (56 pages)]
(January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990)
Evaluation Report Sent to the Advisory Board March 18, 2015
(January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990)
Petition Discussed by the Advisory Board The petition was discussed by the Advisory Board on March 26, 2015, during its regular meeting.

Note: Agendas and transcripts for Board meetings will be posted on the Advisory Board and Public Meetings page as soon as they become available.
Advisory Board Recommendation on SEC Petition April 22, 2015 [108 KB (2 pages)]
(January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990)
HHS Letters to Congress Regarding the SEC Petition May 22, 2015 [91 KB (13 pages)]
(January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990)
HHS Designation of Additional Members to the SEC

May 22, 2015 [67 KB (5 pages)]
(January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990)

Note: A “designation” will be published if there is a recommendation to add a class to the SEC. A “determination” will be published if there is a recommendation not to add a class to the SEC.
Federal Register Notice: Designation Regarding a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort Designation:

June 8, 2015 [120 KB (2 pages)]
(January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990)

Note: A “designation” will be published if there is a recommendation to add a class to the SEC. A “determination” will be published if there is a recommendation not to add a class to the SEC.
Effective Date for the SEC Class

June 21, 2015
(January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990)

Note: this only applies if the class is added to the SEC.
Federal Register Notice: Final Effect of Designation of a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort

July 1, 2015 [57 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990)

Note: this only applies if the class is added to the SEC.
Letter to DOL Regarding the Addition of a New Class of Employees to the SEC

June 23, 2015 [57 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1990)

Note: this only applies if the class is added to the SEC.

SEC Petitions Not Qualifying for Evaluation

Three additional petitions were received, but did not qualify for evaluation.

Worker Outreach Activities

Based on a recommendation from the Advisory Board to provide workers and site experts with opportunities to participate in developing the technical documents used in dose reconstruction, NIOSH established a Worker Outreach Program.

At Worker Outreach Meetings, current and former DOE and AWE employees have opportunities to obtain information about Site Profiles, Technical Basis Documents, and Technical Information Bulletins, and to provide information for consideration and possible use in dose reconstruction. This process is valuable to ensure that the technical documents used in dose reconstruction contain correct and useful information.

Worker Outreach Activities for Hanford:

Advisory Board Work Group on Hanford

This Work Group is responsible for reviewing the Hanford Site Profile (as revised), the SEC petition(s) from Hanford petitioners, the NIOSH Evaluation Report of the petition, and the SC&A Review of the Hanford Site Profile. It is also responsible for considering issues raised by the Board’s contractor (SC&A) concerning the Site Profile and the petition Evaluation Report, and for assisting NIOSH and SC&A in the resolution of such issues. The Work Group may recommend to the Board, changes in the Site Profile as appropriate. The Work Group should strive to develop a recommendation to the Board on whether a class should be added to the SEC.

Work Group Members:

  • James Malcolm Melius, M.D., Dr. P.H. (Chair)
  • Bradley P. Clawson
  • John W. Poston, Sr.
  • Phillip Schofield
  • Paul L. Ziemer, Ph.D.

Meeting Information:

Pre-Decisional Document Policy

Please note that as part of the procedures and processes of the Advisory Board’s Work Groups, several kinds of pre-decisional documents may be developed. These pre-decisional documents, such as white papers, matrices, working drafts, etc., are distributed among Work Group members as research and background tools to facilitate discussion and deliberation. Although discussion during a public meeting may cover pre-decisional documents, these documents often are not further revised or finalized, and thus do not reflect the final determination or evaluation of the Advisory Board and its Work Groups. Additionally, some pre-decisional documents not otherwise posted on the website may contain sensitive information, which would require an interested party to obtain such documents by filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the CDC/ATSDR FOIA office at foiarequests@cdc.gov.

Technical Documents

If the energy employee’s personal radiation information is incomplete, NIOSH will use other sources to estimate the radiation dose. This may involve using technical documents called Site Profiles, Technical Basis Documents, and Technical Information Bulletins.

Site Profile

  • Introduction [92 KB (11 pages)]
    Revised March 2, 2010

    Revision Includes: Incorporates changes due to revisions of the related Hanford Technical Basis Documents. Updated references. Incorporates formal internal and NIOSH review comments.

  • Site Description [728 KB (92 pages)]
    Revised February 22, 2010

    Revision Includes: NIOSH data collection and analysis information for several new radionuclides and the areas and facilities and periods during which they were used. Incorporates formal internal and NIOSH review comments. Constitutes a total rewrite of the document.

  • Occupational Medical Dose [579 KB (36 pages)]
    Revised January 23, 2017

    Revision Includes: Revised to correct six values in Table 3-11 on page 27 in Section 3.6. A formatting change was made as a result of formal internal review. No changes were made as a result of formal NIOSH review.

  • Occupational Environmental Dose [1 MB (58 pages)]
    Revised January 7, 2010

    Revision Includes: Revision initiated to incorporate SEC information in the Acronyms and Abbreviations Section and on page 10 in new Section 4.1.3. Updated NIOSH required language. Adds changes to Table 4-3. Updated references on pages 20, 21, 23, 33, and 34 in Section 4.2 and 4.4 and in the Reference Section. Adds information on page 26 in Section 4.3.1 regarding Table 4-8 details. Adds details to page 30 in Section 4.3.3. Updates document owner information on page 33 in Section 4.4. Incorporates formal internal and NIOSH review comments. No sections were deleted.

  • Occupational Internal Dose [2 MB (183 pages)]Revised November 16, 2015

    Revision Includes: Includes the SEC class determination for SEC-00226 due to inadequate bioassay monitoring for contractors and subcontractors of the DOE, except those of specified prime contractors, during the period from January 1, 1984, through December 31, 1990. Adds SEC statements or changes made to Sections 5.1.2, 5.6, and 5.6.2. Adds titles and heading rows to some tables that did not have them. No information in those tables changed. Incorporates formal internal and NIOSH review comments. Adds Tables 5-1a through 5-1e to Section 5.1.2 to summarize internal doses that can and cannot be reconstructed for partial dose reconstructions during the SEC periods. Subsequent clarifications were made in Sections 5.6.1 and 5.6.2. Constitutes a total rewrite of the document.

  • Occupational External Dose [4 MB (265 pages)]
    Revised January 7, 2010

    Revision Includes: Revision initiated to incorporate neutron and photon measurement data collection and analysis of Hanford once-through cooling production reactors, 200 Area Plutonium Facilities, 300 Area and Miscellaneous Research Facilities with potential neutron exposure, and coworker analyses previously contained in ORAUT-OTIB-0030. Incorporated formal internal and NIOSH review comments. Constitutes a total rewrite of the document.

Advisory Board and NIOSH Discussions on Hanford

The Hanford discussion papers listed below are working documents prepared by NIOSH or its contractor for use in discussions with the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health or its Working Groups or Subcommittees. Draft, preliminary, interim, and white paper documents are not final NIOSH or Advisory Board (or their technical support and review contractors) positions unless specifically marked as such. These documents represent preliminary positions taken on technical issues prepared by NIOSH or its contractor.

The discussion papers have been reviewed to identify and redact any information that is protected by the Privacy Act 5 USC §552a and have been cleared for distribution.

Program Evaluation Plans (PEPs) and Program Evaluation Reports (PERs)

NIOSH is committed to applying the best available science in dose reconstructions. In keeping with this commitment, completed cases with probabilities of causation less than 50% are reviewed as relevant new information becomes available. The results of these reviews are described in a Program Evaluation Report (PER). The PER details the effect, if any, of the new information on the completed dose reconstruction. If it appears that the new information may result in an increase in dose for a completed dose reconstruction with a probability of causation of less than 50%, NIOSH is committed to working with the Department of Labor to reopen and rework the dose reconstruction, as appropriate. A Program Evaluation Plan (PEP) describes plans for evaluating specific program details or issues.

  • OCAS-PER-0005 Rev-00: Misinterpreted Application of the External Dose Factor for Hanford Dose Reconstructions [85 KB (6 pages)]
    June 9, 2006

    About this Document: Describes the evaluation of the programmatic effect of the misinterpreted application of the bias factor for Hanford Dose Reconstructions.

    Summary: An error in interpretation and application of the bias factor information in the Hanford External Dose Reconstruction Technical Basis Document (1) resulted in an underestimate of the external dose for certain Hanford claims. Claims that were potentially affected by this error were identified and those that had not already been submitted to the Department of Labor were returned to the ORAU team for rework. The cases that had been submitted to DOL were reevaluated by removing the bias factor, thus developing a revised external dose. The probability of causation for each of the affected claims was recalculated. This evaluation found that although this error appeared upon discovery to be rather significant, there was no impact on compensation decisions made by the Department of Labor.

  • OCAS-PER-0029 Rev-00: Hanford TBD Revisions [30 KB (4 pages)]
    December 18, 2007

    About this Document: Document to determine which previously completed claims require evaluation for the effect of revising the Hanford TBD.

    Summary: There were 1190 Hanford or PNNL claims completed prior to June 22, 2007, with a probability of Causation below 50%. The dose reconstruction methodology of each will be reviewed to determine if a new dose reconstruction is necessary to determine if the revisions increase the dose estimate. NIOSH will review these dose reconstructions to determine if they meet any of the criteria listed in the PER. NIOSH will provide DOL with the list of 1190 claims as well as a determination on each claim as to whether a new dose estimate is required. Documentation for each claim not requiring a new dose reconstruction will provide the basis for that determination.

Public Comments on Hanford Documents

How to Submit Comments

Comments on Hanford documents can be submitted to the NIOSH Docket Officer electronically by email at nioshdocket@cdc.gov or printed comments can be mailed to:

NIOSH Docket Office
Robert A. Taft Laboratories, MS-C34
1090 Tusculum Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45226
Please include the Site Profile/Docket Number (016) on all comments.

Comments Received

At this time, no comments have been submitted.

Document Archive for Hanford

  • Site Profile: Introduction section
  • Site Profile: Site Description section
    • Page Change Revision May 17, 2007 [378 KB (46 pages)]

      Revision Includes: Added two paragraphs required by the Office of General Counsel on page 7. Made additional changes resulting from the comments received at the NIOSH/PACE discussion in Richland, WA on April 22, 2004. These include the sentence on page 11 regarding the 137Cs and 90Sr recovery operations, the date change from 1979 to 1978 (page 12), the addition of one paragraph on page 14, section 2.3.5, discussing the ventilation problems in Building 303-L, and the two deletions on page 32.

    • Page Change Revision December 29, 2004 [300 KB (39 pages)]

      Revision Includes: Added two paragraphs required by the Office of General Counsel on page 7. Made additional changes resulting from the comments received at the NIOSH/PACE discussion in Richland, WA on April 22, 2004. These include the sentence on page 11 regarding the 137Cs and 90Sr recovery operations, the date change from 1979 to 1978 (page 12), the addition of one paragraph on page 14, section 2.3.5, discussing the ventilation problems in Building 303-L, and the two deletions on page 32.

    • Approved October 2, 2003 [294 KB (38 pages)]
  • Site Profile: Occupational Medical Dose section
  • Site Profile: Occupational Environmental Dose section
  • Site Profile: Occupational Internal Dose section
    • Revised November 5, 2012 [2 MB (163 pages)]

      Revision Includes: Includes NIOSH-proposed SEC-00201 regarding U-233, highly enriched uranium (HEU), neptunium, and thorium, from July 1, 1972, through December 31, 1983. SEC statements added or changes made to Sections 5.1.2, 5.2.5, 5.2.9, 5.2.10, 5.2.11, 5.3.4, 5.6.1, 5.6.2, and Table 5-31. Unmonitored worker intakes for thorium, neptunium, and U-233 deleted from Table 5-31 and associated text. Corrected Table 5-17 to Th-228, and Attachment A number to 1.2 E-11 (the minus sign was missing). Reference for TBD-6000 updated. Incorporates formal internal and NIOSH review comments.

    • Revised October 20, 2010 [2 MB (163 pages)]

      Revision Includes: Revision to make corrections to GSDs and 95th percentile intake rates in Attachment C (coworker study) for all radionuclides (plutonium, uranium, strontium-90, promethium-137, zinc-65, sodium-24, cesium-137). Incorporates formal internal and NIOSH review comments.

    • Revised January 7, 2010 [2 MB (164 pages)]

      Revision Includes: Revision to add new SEC statement in Section 5.1. All references to OTIB-039 were removed. OTIB-039 was added as Attachment C. All mention of assigning intakes for unmonitored workers for Np, Po-210, or thorium were removed. Attachment A was split with REX codes becoming a new Attachment B and tolerance limits remaining as Attachment A. Table 5-1 on bioassay codes were moved to Attachment B. Text on records missing in REX was added to Section 5.2. In Section 5.2.1, text was added on change in bioassay frequency circa 1960. Text on history of Am exposure and start of bioassay was added in Section 5.2.2. Text on history of Cm exposure was added to Section 5.2.3. Text on history of tritium exposure and discussion of metal tritides and OBT was added to Section 5.2.4. Added new information on sensitivity in 1950. In Table 5-10, a new footnote b on reporting level in 1964 was added. In Table 5-14, there was a change in MDA for the period 9/1964 through 1973. More explanatory text was added to the footnotes. Additional history of 233U exposure and bioassay method in 1970 was added to Section 5.2.5. Updated impurity concentrations in the 233U and added new Tables 5-16 and 5-17 on impurities. In Section 5.2.8, Information was added in regard to 147Pm urinalysis development in 1962. Added MDA information on urinalysis 1963-64. In vivo counting for 147Pm was mentioned. In Section 5.2.9, historical material was removed. New information was referenced in the Hanford Site Description. Added information on 1948 Po-210 urinalysis procedure and statement about monitoring in 1954. Text was added to Section 5.2.10 on purity of Np. Added information about urinalysis method in 1960. Text was added to Section 5.2.11 on thorium urinalysis method circa 1955. Text was removed in Section 5.3.4 on historical exposure to thorium. New information was referenced in the Hanford Site Description. Buildings were added to Table 5-26. Mentioned early thorium urinalysis procedure circa 1955 and first whole body counting 1962-63. New intake guidance for alpha-emitters in tank farm mixtures was added to Section 5.4.1. In Section 5.5.2, removed instructions to DRs concerning uncertainty. In Section 5.6, added reference to OTIB-54 for fission product intakes. Corrected operating dates for the Fast Flux Test Facility. Mentioned that routine thyroid counts extended into the 1950s. In Table 5-30, added new intake values for tritium for 1955 and discussed reason in the text. Added statements on the tritium bioassay analysis as discussed in Attachment C. Added guidance for unmonitored worker intakes of 233U in Z Plant. Added new guidance for many of the specific buildings and added some new buildings to the list. Updated Table 5-31 to reflect new guidance in the text. Updated Attributions and References sections to reflect changes in the text. Incorporates formal internal and NIOSH review comments. Provides additional guidance for assigning intakes for exotic radionuclides to unmonitored workers in Section 5.6. Constitutes a total rewrite of the document.

    • Revised June 22, 2007 [793 KB (89 pages)]

      Revision Includes: Initiated to revise or add information in Section 5. Section 5.1: updated tolerance air concentrations and assigned intakes for 1944-48; added summary of Ikenberry report on thyroid monitoring 1945-46; added fission product intakes for 1947. Section 5.2: added statement on types of urinalysis kits normally used. Section 5.2.1: added information about pure 238Pu work in 325 Bldg.; added statement to use 5-yr-old Pu mixture for years prior to 1951. Section 5.2.2: added statement about 241Am recovery operation in PFP in 1960-70s. Section 5.2.3: added stated about 244Cm recovery in 325 Bldg. Section 5.2.5: added statement about work with 37% enriched U; changed period for 4 ìg/L reporting level to 1974; increased Pu-239 contaminant level in RU to 0.8 nCi/gU; added information about U-233 production. Section 5.2.8: added information about promethium use. Section 5.2.10: added information about neptunium urinalyses. Section 5.2.11: added information about thorium urinalyses and 35S urinalyses. Revised or added information to Section 5 tables. Introduction: added new boilerplate. all table numbers were reformatted. Section 5.1: removed reliance on air samples and referenced co-worker study (OTIB-0039), Section 5.2: added statement on types of urinalysis kits normally used. Sec. 5.2.1: added info. about pure Pu-238 work in 325 Bldg.; added statement to use fresh Pu for 1944-49 and 5-yr-old Pu mixture for 1950-54. Sec. 5.2.2: added statement about Am-241 recovery operation in PFP in 1960-70s. Sec. 5.2.3: added statement about Cm-244 recovery in 325 Bldg. Sec. 5.2.4: added information about tritium in the 400 Area drinking water. Sec. 5.2.5: Table 5-13: raised Pu-alpha contamination level to 0.8 nCi/gU; added statement about work with 37% enriched U; changed period for 4 ìg/L reporting level to 1974; added information about U-233 production. Sec. 5.2.8: added some info. about promethium use. Sec. 5.2.9: removed discussion about background levels of Po-210. Sec. 5.2.10: added some info. about neptunium urinalyses. Sec. 5.2.11: added info. about thorium urinalyses and S-35 urinalyses. Sec. 5.3.1: revised Table 5.3.1-1 (5-22) to clarify MDAs, decision levels and reporting levels. Sec. 5.3.4: totally new section on thorium exposure and thorium monitoring. Sec. 5.4: replaced the old mixture rules with use of Table 5.7-2 (5-25); Sec. 5.6.2: (chronic intakes) deleted entire section. Sec. 5.7 (now 5.6): added information about tritium in the 400 area drinking water; added reference to OTIB-0039 and revised Table 5-25 accordingly. Moved old Appendix D into this document as Attachment A; took out all the tables on chronic intakes. Constitutes a total rewrite of the document. Incorporates NIOSH formal review comments. Many grammatical and format changes throughout. Table 5-12: removed the uranium specific activity data for DU and natural U; added statement to use IMBA defaults to footnote a. Section 5.3.4: added table showing buildings with thorium exposure; added text and table explaining adjustment factors for whole body measurements of Th-232 and associated intakes; added thoron doses for workers processing thorium in 3722 and 3732 bldgs. Section 5.6: clarified possible absorption types for Pu and U in the specific-facilities section; added thoron to Table 5-30; revised tritium intakes for unmonitored workers due a coworker analysis of tritium doses. New Tables 5-27 and 5-28 providing Th-232 intakes based on whole body counting at long times after end of chronic intakes. Section 5.3.4: revised thoron WLMs, removed reference to thoron dose with a reference to TIB-011, clarified use of OTIB-0039 for unmonitored thorium intakes. Section 5.6: removed references to 6- mrem tritium dose and stayed with intake values; clarified how the tritium intake values were determined for the 1955-60, 1970-71, and 1973-83 time periods; corrected a math error resulting in slightly increased intakes for 1984, 85, and 86. Includes Attributions and Annotations and additional references. Incorporates formal internal review comments for Attributions and Annotations section.

    • Revised November 24, 2004 [532 KB (57 pages)]

      Revision Includes: Major revision to discuss historical limits and tolerance dose; discussion of separations plant (1944 -46) and 231-Z (1945-46); clarified intakes in the 300 area uranium fabrication and the laundry facilities; expanded information on 241Am and 241Am MDAs for 1946 and 1967-6/1969; Added section 5.2.4.1 on assignment of tritium doses; added table 5.2.5-5 (MDAs for non-routine uranium excreta analyses); revised table 5.2.6-1 (routine fission product urinalysis detection levels); added discussion of 214Bi and 208Tl in whole body counting (section 5.3.1); expanded section 5.7 on unmonitored workers to provide additional discussion, tables and instructions to dose reconstructors for specific areas on the site; included listing of references; plus corrected miscellaneous typos, and table number changes.

    • Approved October 15, 2003 [436 KB (46 pages)]
  • Site Profile: Occupational External Dose section
    • Revised June 5, 2007 [1.5 MB (102 pages)]

      Revision Includes: Attributions and Annotations section revised. No further changes occurred as a result for formal internal review. Incorporates formal NIOSH review comments. This revision results in no change to the assigned dose and no PER is required.

    • Revised November 21, 2006 [890 KB (91 pages)]

      Revision Includes: Revision incorporate SC&A comments and responses to claimant concerns. Constitutes a total rewrite of document. Incorporates internal and NIOSH formal review comments. This revision results in no change to the assigned dose and no PER is required.

    • Page Change Revision October 5, 2006 [778 KB (80 pages)]

      Revision Includes: Adds updated required language on page 8 in Section 6.1. Adds Purpose Section (6.1.1) and Scope Section (6.1.2) to page 9. Makes reference to ORAUT-OTIB-0017 on page 10 in Section 6.2 for guidance to be used. Adds two references to pages 56 and 58 in Reference Section. No changes occurred as a result formal internal review. Incorporates NIOSH formal review comments. This revision results in no change to the assigned dose.

    • Revised January 9, 2004 [792 KB (78 pages)]

      Revision Includes: Revised to include the sections on neutrons and responses to DOL comments.

    • Approved October 20, 2003 [568 KB (68 pages)]
  • Special Exposure Cohort: SEC Petition Evaluation Report for Hanford Petition 57
  • Technical Information Bulletin: External Coworker Dosimetry Data for the Hanford Site–CANCELED

    Note: This document has been canceled. There is no longer a need to keep this information in a stand-alone document. The information contained in this document has been incorporated into the Hanford External Technical Basis Document – ORAUT-TKBS-0006-6 Rev 04.

    • ORAUT-OTIB-0030 Rev-00 PC-1: Page Change Revision November 7, 2006 [280 KB (10 pages)]

      About this Document: Establishes the technical basis to provide information to allow Dose Reconstructors (Health Physicists) to assign doses to certain workers at the Hanford site who have no or limited monitoring data, based on site coworker data.

      Page Change Revision Includes: Page change revision due to release of ORAUT-OTIB-0052 Rev 00. Updates required language on page 3 in Section 1.0. Lists ORAUT-OTIB-0052 Rev 00 as a reference on page 5 in Section 5.0. Rewrites item 5 on page 7 in Section 7. Completes Section 8.0 on page 8. Adds Table 3 to page 10 in Section 8.0. Incorporates formal internal review comments. Per new document requirements, added a Table of Contents. This revision results in an increase in assigned dose and a PER is required.

    • ORAUT-OTIB-0030 Rev-00: Approved March 23, 2005 [39 KB (8 pages)]
  • Technical Information Bulletin: Internal Dosimetry Coworker Data for the Hanford Site–CANCELED

    Note: There is no longer a need to keep this information in a stand-alone document. The information contained in this document has been incorporated into the Hanford Internal Technical Basis Document – ORAUT-TKBS-0006-5 Rev 03.

    • ORAUT-OTIB-0039 Rev-01: Revised October 1, 2007 [850 KB (55 pages)]

      About this Document: Establishes the technical basis for assignment of Hanford internal doses based on coworker bioassay data.

      Revision Includes: Initiated to add Section 7.0, Attributions and Annotations and corresponding citations throughout the text. Also updated Sections 5.3, 5.3.1.2, 6.1 and Attachment A regarding Type S plutonium to provide best estimate intake values. Incorporates formal internal and NIOSH review comments.

    • ORAUT-OTIB-0039 Rev-00 PC-2: Page Change Revision: January 31, 2007 [843 KB (55 pages)]

      About this Document: Establishes the technical basis for assignment of Hanford internal doses based on coworker bioassay data.

      Revision Includes: Approved page change revision. Revised to change thorium intakes based on assumption of equal “mass” as uranium; changed equilibrium conditions with progeny in the thorium chain based on new calculations and included statement of significance of Th-230 to be consistent with the current Hanford internal dosimetry TBD. Changes occurred on pages 33, 34, and 35. In Table 6-9 on page 35, in Section 6.7, corrected error in fission product intake in 1944-47 and adjusted I-131 intakes to be consistent with the Hanford Internal Dosimetry TBD. Made corrections to Table A-1 on page 38 in Attachment A. Incorporates internal and NIOSH formal review comments. The discussion and tables in Section 6.8 about radionuclides not measured in this study was removed. It is addressed in ORAUT-TKBS-0006-5. The pages affected by these changes are 23, 28, 30, and 32. This revision results in a reduction in assigned dose and no PER is required. No sections were deleted. Section 6.0: added Pu mixture statement consistent with Table in Section 5.1. Section 6.2: replaced sentence indicating all uranium exposure meant thorium exposure and referenced the Hanford internal dosimetry TBD for buildings and periods of thorium exposure. Clarified that thorium at PUREX would be Type M. In Table 6-4, corrected Type S intake for 1962-70 to 60.0 pCi/d; corrected PUREX type M intake to 0.957 based on type F. Added footnotes. Removed Table 6-5 on impurities in RU and referenced the TBD.

    • ORAUT-OTIB-0039 Rev-00 PC-1: Page Change Revision January 6, 2006 [456 KB (54 pages)]

      Revision Includes: Corrects errors in units in Table 5-10 (page 27), Table 5-14 (page 28), Table 6-8 (page 33) and 6-10 (page 34). Corrects a value error in Table 6-9 (311.9 instead of 300 in the fifth column, page 33). Provides new guidance on how to assign radionuclides to unmonitored workers based on worker location, consistent with Hanford internal dosimetry TBD (Section 6.8, page 35). Corrects errors in Table 6-13 on page 36. No sections were deleted.

    • ORAUT-OTIB-0039 Rev-00: Approved October 28, 2005 [455 KB (54 pages)]

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