nuclear-news

Occupational health danger at Hanford nuclear facility

Workers … may develop chronic beryllium disease, an incurable and often debilitating lung disease, if they breath in fine particles of the metal

Hanford workers need more prevention against berylium disease, Yakima Herald By ANNETTE CARYTRI 3 June 2010, RICHLAND, Wash. —  Hanford needs to do more to prevent chronic beryllium disease in its workers, moving more quickly and aggressively to implement a new protection program, according to the report on a three-month investigation released Wednesday.

An independent inspection by the Department of Energy Office of Health, Safety and Security found that the nuclear reservation’s new Hanford-wide Chronic Beryllium Disease Prevention Program was a step in the right direction. But there have not been clear plans for a timely implementation of the site-wide plan, the investigation concluded.

It found that many of the key shortcomings in protecting Hanford workers had been identified earlier — including in a 2002 Hanford Joint Council report — but issues had not been addressed…….

About 36 Hanford workers are believed to have been diagnosed with chronic beryllium disease during their careers at Hanford, up from just two a decade ago. About another 125 workers are believed to have tested positive for sensitization to beryllium after a past exposure to it.

The metal was machined at Hanford to fabricate fuel for reactors that produced plutonium for the nation’s nuclear weapons program. It also was used in nonsparking tools that may have been modified, dispersing particles of the metal.

Workers … may develop chronic beryllium disease, an incurable and often debilitating lung disease, if they breath in fine particles of the metal……Workers who test positive for beryllium sensitivity are at risk of developing chronic beryllium disease and further exposure to beryllium may increase the risk. To protect their health they can only be assigned to work in areas without possible beryllium contamination.   That puts them at risk of losing their jobs through no fault of their own,

Hanford workers need more prevention against berylium disease | Yakima Herald-Republic

June 5, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, USA