Bethlehem workers and Western NY State

[NiagaraNet@AOL.COM]

Subj:   Re: Bethlehem workers and Western NY State  

Date:   3/27/04 9:53:03 AM Eastern Standard Time    

From:   radwaste@igc.org    

To: NiagaraNet@AOL.COM  

Sent from the Internet (Details)    



Lou:  Could you pass this along?

 

    We have reviewed the Bethlehem Steel records for some individual workers 

at the Lackawanna plant.  There is no question in our mind the dose 

reconstruction conducted by NIOSH greatly underestimates the radiation dose these 

workers received.  This underestimate is due to the following: 1) missing radiation 

pathways and 2) truncated exposure duration.  The missing radiation pathways 

are incidental dust ingestion while the mill was operating, and resuspension of 

dust, direct gamma and incidental dust ingestion while the rolling mill was 

not operating.  NIOSH calculates uptake of uranium and decay products only 

while the rolling mill was operating, perhaps assuming that the vacuuming removed 

all surface contamination.  That this is not the case can easily be seen by 

examining the Simonds Saw Mill which was also vacuumed, but where surface 

contamination persisted through 1979 at least.  Incidental dust ingestion is 

contamination on hands or face that is taken in the mouth when, for example, a worker 

wipes his brow.  Generally the mills were hot so this is a common occurrence. 

 Ingestion of uranium would be much more effective in yielding a radiation 

dose to the colon and stomach; several of these workers developed colon cancer.



Marvin Resnikoff, RWMA



***

Sent to Niagaranet from M. Resnikoff in response to-

> ----- Original Message and thread subject below----- 

> From: NiagaraNet@AOL.COM 

> To: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu 

> Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2004 6:48 AM

> Subject: Bethlehem workers and Western NY State

> 

> Dear Barbara Hamrick and Michael Kent:

> 

> Perhaps those interested and making blind comment on this board should look 

> at DOE records and see just how many AWE and Beryllium sites were associated 

> with this area of the country--Niagara Falls, Tonawanda, Lackawanna, 

> Lewiston, Porter, Youngstown and Lockport, New York ... 

>           Louis Ricciuti