Source:
Boston University School of Public Health and the University of California, San Francisco
Description:
Since development of the first atomic bomb began in 1942, over 600,000 workers have been employed in the nuclear weapons industry under the Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessor agencies. Over the years many DOE workers were exposed to harmful substances such as radiation, loud noise, asbestos, beryllium, lead, silica, and solvents. As a result of their work with or around hazardous substances, former workers may be at risk for developing health problems. The Defense Authorization Act of 1993 established the USDOE Former Workers Program (FWP) to provide medical evaluations to former DOE workers in order to prevent and minimize the health impact of diseases caused by work-related exposure to hazardous substances at DOE facilities.
Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) works in collaboration with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) to plan, develop, and implement an all hazards medical screening and surveillance program for former workers of the Nevada Test Site, and 3 National Laboratories in Northern California: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratory in California.
BUSPH previously conductd a Beryllium Screening Program for former workers of beryllium vendors at MIT & Nuclear Metals, Wyman-Gordon, and Norton Abrasives. The MA Beryllium Screening Program concluded in June 2007.
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