Radiation Advisory Board Holds 135th Meeting Virtually

Before the pandemic, the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health planned to hold an in-person meeting in Idaho Falls, ID August 26-27-2020.  Because of the health concerns with meeting face to face they instead held their meeting virtually.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Department of Labor (DOL) reported on their claims’ statistics.  Approximately 35% of claims are approved under dose reconstruction.

The Department of Energy (DOE) explained the problems they are experiencing with providing employment records to DOL and NIOSH because of the pandemic.  Greg Lewis of DOE explained that some sites can access records remotely or even in a physical location if the site’s location is in an area with a low incidence of the virus.  He added that some records are stored at a Federal Records Center and those sites have severe restrictions on accessing records.  He said that Y-12 record requests are experiencing a big backlog. Record requests for Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) petitions are also affected because those records need to undergo a classification review.

The Board agreed that NIOSH can reconstruct dose for Superior Steel and voted not to include it in the SEC.

Public comments were accepted both by uploading them and any supporting documentation to the NIOSH docket and by calling into the meeting.  Dr. Rashaun Roberts, the Board’s Designated Federal Official, acknowledge the receipt of the white paper submitted by the Y-12 SEC petitioners.  She confirmed that it was shared with all members of the Board, NIOSH and the Board’s contractor, Sanford Cohen and Associates (SC&A).  She also informed that a meeting has been scheduled with the Y-12 Work Group for September 24, 2020 at 1 pm EDT.  Dr. Roberts also read a letter from Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy, III supporting the Metals and Control SEC petition.