[ RadSafe ] Rocketdyne Follow-up Worker Health Study

[Phil Rutherford]

A new four-year epidemiology study of Rocketdyne workers has been completed.  The study was jointly sponsored by The Boeing Company and the United Aerospace Workers (UAW).

The study cohort included 47,000 workers at Rocketdyne and Atomics International between the years 1948 and 1999.  Sub-cohorts included 5,800 radiation workers, 8,400 other workers employed at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, and 1,650 mechanics employed on rocket engine test stands.

Preliminary information is available at http://www.boeing.com/rocketdynehealthstudy.  The final report will be available on-line May 1st.

The study was conducted by a research team led by Dr. John Boice, Scientific Director of the International Epidemiology Institute (IEI) and Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

An independent Science Committee chose IEI to conduct the study, provided direction in the study design and methodology, and participated in interpreting the results.  The Science Committee comprised,
  a.. Dr. John Peters, Professor and Director of the Division of Occupational and Environmental Health in the Department of Preventive Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine, and Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology in the UCLA School of Public Health. 

  b.. Dr. Scott Davis, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of Washington.

  c.. Dr. Karl Kelsey, Professor of Cancer Biology and Environmental Health in the Department of Genomics and Complex Diseases at the Harvard University School of Public Health.

  d.. Dr. Laura Welch, Adjunct Professor at George Washington University’s School of Public Health & Health Services where she is Director of the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Program.

  e.. Dr. Jack Siemiatycki, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Environmental Epidemiology and Population Health at the University of Montreal.

  f.. Dr. John Dement, Professor and epidemiologist with Duke University Medical Center's Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Both the Research Team and the Science Committee concluded that, based on the results of the study,

  a.. The Rocketdyne workforce had a much lower overall mortality than the rate observed in the California population 

  b.. There is no evidence that working conditions caused increased mortality in the Rocketdyne workforce


Phil Rutherford
Manager, Radiation Safety
Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power
The Boeing Company
6633 Canoga Ave. M/S T038
P. O. Box 7922
Canoga Park, CA 91309-7922

Tel:  818-586-6140
Fax:  818-586-5194
Email:  philip.d.rutherford at boeing.com
Web:  www.boeing.com/space/rdyne/