nuclear-news

The Associated Press: Court raises hopes of Hanford radiation plaintiffs

Court raises hopes of Hanford radiation plaintiffs
 SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) 17 Dec 08 — A U.S. Supreme Court decision Monday raised hopes that as many as 2,000 plaintiffs could be compensated for health problems they blame on radiation from a Washington state nuclear site instrumental in the Manhattan Project and the Cold War.

The court issued a one-line denial of an appeal by contractors who worked at the Hanford nuclear reservation. The contractors — E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co., General Electric Co. and UNC Nuclear Industries Inc. — were challenging a lower-court ruling last spring that sided largely with the plaintiffs.

The people exposed to radiation lived in eastern Washington, eastern Oregon and Idaho, downwind of Hanford, as the U.S. government was developing atomic bombs in the 1940s.

The government did not disclose until 1986 that radiation had been released at the site, and since then the “downwinders” have sought compensation for thyroid cancer and other conditions they believe were caused by the exposure………………………Last spring, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld monetary awards for two “bellwether” plaintiffs, rejected the contractors’ claim of immunity from lawsuits because they were working for the government, and ruled that the deadline for individuals pursuing claims hadn’t expired.

The Associated Press: Court raises hopes of Hanford radiation plaintiffs

Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium

December 19, 2008 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics