Nuclear Workers Compensation Pressed

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Thursday November 18 3:56 AM ET 

Nuclear Workers Compensation Pressed  

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Clinton administration plan to compensate 
potentially hundreds of current and former workers sickened in 
federal nuclear weapons plants isn't enough, some workers say.  

``What is a human life worth?'' asked Ann Orick, who became sick 
while working at the shuttered K-25 uranium enrichment plant in Oak 
Ridge.  

``We are willing to be fair. We will bend over backwards. But they 
are going to have to meet us halfway,'' said Orick, one of 55 former 
K-25 workers who have been waiting three years for government-paid 
doctors to determine the source of their illnesses.  

Energy Secretary Bill Richardson proposed a bill Wednesday that would 
cover all Energy Department employees who became ill through exposure 
to radioactive material.  

Workers who suffered from beryllium-related diseases would be 
eligible to receive medical benefits, lost wage reimbursement, and 
optional job retraining or a single lump-sum payment of $100,000.  

The measure also widened an earlier proposal by including 
compensation for workers at the Paducah, Ky., and Oak Ridge, 
facilities where workers have suffered from non-beryllium radiation-
related diseases.  

For Paducah, it would cover those who worked there between January 
1952 and February 1992. Oak Ridge would be the site of a pilot 
program to determine whether any current and former employees are 
sick as a result of exposure to beryllium or other radioactive 
materials there.  

Janet Michel, another ill K-25 worker, said the lump-sum compensation 
proposed for workers like her ``is just a drop in the bucket of what 
needs to be done.''  

Orick agreed, saying, ``Everybody has maxed out their credit cards. 
Everybody's sold everything they've got. People have nothing left to 
dig into.''  

An estimated 20,000 workers may have been exposed to beryllium at 
various Energy Department sites, though medical experts stress that 
only a small percentage would develop beryllium-related illnesses.  

U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., said he will sponsor the 
legislation, and promised to work to expand its Paducah coverage to 
include Oak Ridge workers. U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., said he will 
do the same in the House.  

``It's time to take care of those who sacrificed so much to help our 
country win the Cold War,'' Thompson said. ``Mistakes were made, and 
they need to be rectified.''  

Until recently, the Energy Department had refused to acknowledge that 
some workers' health problems were linked to work at the weapons 
plants. ``Hopefully, this action will help redeem defense workers' 
faith in American government,'' said Rep.  
 Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio. 

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Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	
Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Division		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    
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Personal Website:  http://www.geocities.com/scperle
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