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Wah Chang

(Site Profile/Docket Number 217)

Location: Albany, Oregon

Also known as: Teledyne Wah Chang

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 currently one open/active SEC petition, Petition 239. NIOSH is reviewing the petition to see if it qualifies for evaluation. If the petition qualifies, it will receive a full evaluation by NIOSH, the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health, and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Class(es) Added to the SEC

  • All Atomic Weapons Employer employees who worked in any building at the Wah Chang facility in Albany, Oregon, for the operational period from January 1, 1971 through December 31, 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 CohortNote: This class was established from Petition 174

Classes Not Added to the SEC

  • All Atomic Weapons Employees who worked in any building at the Wah Chang facility in Albany, Oregon, for the entire residual contamination period from January 1, 1973, through October 31, 2009

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.

Petition 174 (Jan 1, 1971 to Oct 31, 2009)

Steps in Petition Process: Petition Details:

Date Received

June 9, 2010

Date Qualified for Evaluation

August 16, 2010

Summary of Information in Petition

Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All employees who worked in any buildings

Period of Employment: Operational period from January 1, 1971 through December 31, 1972, and the residual radioactivity period from January 1, 1973 through October 31, 2009

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

June 9, 2010 [633 KB (11 pages)]

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

September 14, 2010 [42 KB (1 page)]

SEC Petition Evaluation Report

December 20, 2010 [435 KB (48 pages)]
(January 1, 1971 through December 31, 1972)

Evaluation Report Sent to the Advisory Board

December 27, 2010

Petition Discussed by the Advisory Board

The petition was discussed by the Advisory Board on February 23, 2011, during its regular meeting.

Advisory Board Recommendation on SEC Petition

March 28, 2011 [29 KB (2 pages)]

HHS Letters to Congress Regarding the SEC Petition

April 29, 2011 [77 KB (10 pages)]
(January 1, 1971 through December 31, 1972)

June 3, 2011 [67 KB (9 pages)]
(January 1, 1973 through October 31, 2009)

HHS Designation/Determination Concerning a Petition to Add Members to the SEC

 Designation

Determination

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

 Designation

Determination

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

May 29, 2011
(January 1, 1971 through December 31, 1972)

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

June 9, 2011 [53 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1971 through December 31, 1972)

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

June 6, 2011 [17 KB (1 page)]

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.

Public Comments on Wah Chang Documents

How to Submit Comments

Comments on Wah Chang 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 (217) on all comments.

Comments Received

At this time, no comments have been submitted on Wah Chang documents.

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