Re: Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant

[jack bell <bellstar@erols.com>]

"Schroeder, Gary L" wrote:

>      Statement by U.S. Secretary of Energy Bill
> >                      Richardson on the
> >           Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant
> >
> >"We are very concerned about recent allegations
> >that past activities at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion
> >Plant have endangered the health of employees. We
> >owe a great debt to the workforce at Paducah, and
> >we are fully investigating these issues.
> >
> >Second, we are asking the Institute of Medicine of
> >the National Academy of Sciences to independently
> >investigate the relationship between hazardous
> >exposures and illnesses in our workers at Paducah
> >and other Energy Department sites.
> >
> >Third, I announced last month an initiative to provide
> >compensation to current and former workers who are
> >ill because of exposure to beryllium at Energy
> >Department nuclear sites. I'm asking the White
> >House to expand the legislation, soon to be sent to
> >Congress, to include workers who have been
> >exposed to radioactive materials.
> >
> >Fourth, we are initiating a comprehensive study of
> >worker medical history since the 1950s and we are
> >instituting an immediate medical surveillance program
> >for current workers. This is in addition to the medical
> >monitoring that we are already doing for former
> >workers, to determine whether they have been made
> >sick from exposure to radioactive materials in the
> >course of their work at the Paducah plant.

This sounds like another jillion dollar give-a-way in the making.

I wonder how Richardson determines that an individual's medical complaints
are the result of exposure to one specific agent?  Another "probability of
causation" deal?  There must be hundreds of thousands of people out there
that could claim some kind of contribution by radiation to their ills.
Maybe I'll be a millionaire before I die (or after?) after all!

Jack Bell,bellstar@erols.com

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