RE: Nuke Site Workers Report Ailments (Hanford)

[L_K_II_Les_Aldrich@RL.gov]

Left out of this transmittal is the following, which was part of the
article that appeared in the Tri-City Herald this morning:

""But researchers in both studies cautioned against making sweeping
conclusions from the results.
That's because these studies looked at former workers who voluntarily
sought out the researchers to be examined, and were not picked at
random, influencing the results, said the researchers.
Most of the people volunteering for the studies had already thought they
had Hanford-related health problems."  (emphasis mine).

I just started using hearing aids because of deteriorated hearing, and
I've worked at Hanford for 20 years. Do you suppose Hanford caused my
hearing loss?  Or could being over 60 be a factor?  Not to mention 25
years participation in competitive marksmanship with high power rifles
and pistols!  Let's see now - which of those reasons could get me a big
payoff?

Previous scientific studies of Hanford workers' health were one of the
main reasons for the invention of the phrase, "healthy worker effect",
because results consistently demonstrated that Hanford workers had fewer
health problems than the general population.  If you assume Hanford
workers were healthier to start with and/or had much better medical care
available, you can avoid admitting that hormesis is a fact and low
levels of radiation exposure really are beneficial.

My personal observations and opinions only.

Les Aldrich
l_k_ii_les_aldrich@rl.gov  

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Sandy Perle [SMTP:sandyfl@earthlink.net]
> Sent:	Wednesday, November 03, 1999 8:04 AM
> To:	Multiple recipients of list
> Subject:	Nuke Site Workers Report Ailments (Hanford)
> 
> Wednesday November 3 3:40 AM ET  
> 
> Nuke Site Workers Report Ailments  
> 
> RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) - Hundreds of former Hanford nuclear reservation 
> workers are reporting a number of work-related ailments, mostly 
> diseased lungs and hearing loss, researchers said.  
> 
> In one of two national medical screening projects, 98 percent of 900 
> construction workers surveyed believed they had been exposed to 
> hazards at Hanford, and 86 percent believed their health had been 
> affected.  
> 
> The screenings are the first independent, science-based evaluations 
> of health risks to former production and construction workers who 
> worked at Hanford anytime in its 56-year history.  
> 
> The screening programs, paid for by the Energy Department, were 
> ordered by Congress and started three years ago to determine whether 
> workers experienced significant health risks as a result of their 
> jobs at DOE sites.  
> 
> Sandy Perle
> E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 
> Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/scperle
> 
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