Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 18, 2010)
June 18, 2010 :NWLP 6/15/10 10:10 AM Page 7 Inspectors fault beryllium safety at Hanford Nuclear Reservation By MARIAN WANG No one said cleaning up a Cold War- era bomb factory was without its haz- ards. But weaknesses in a program to protect workers from a toxic metal may have exposed them to avoidable risk, according to a newly released report by the Department of Energy (DOE). These findings confirm prior report- ing done by ProPublica, which pointed out lapses or gaps in beryllium testing at the site and beryllium training for workers at the Hanford Nuclear Reser- vation in Washington state. At Hanford and at other nuclear cleanup sites around the country, thousands of addi- tional workers have been hired, thanks to billions in federal stimulus funds. The report cited “management weaknesses,” namely a perception among some managers that recently di- agnosed cases of disease are a result of past exposures. It also said that the sites of potential beryllium contamination are not always identified. From the DOE report, released June 2: “[T]here continue to be newly-diag- nosed cases of beryllium sensitization and CBD among current and former Hanford workers. New cases of sensiti- zation and CBD are not necessarily the result of deficiencies in the current pro- gram, because a newly-discovered case could be the result of a past exposure. Nevertheless, because of the weak- nesses in the recent and current imple- mentation of [Chronic Beryllium Dis- ease Prevention Program] controls (e.g., inadequate facility characteriza- tions known areas of contamination that are not well controlled) and the on- going discovery of new sources of beryllium, the possibility that new cases are resulting from recent expo- sures cannot be ruled out.” Beryllium was used for decades in the production process for nuclear weapons, and its legacy of contamina- tion still lingers in the dust at many old plutonium processing sites. The report pointed out that air sam- pling shows beryllium levels are low, and the use of protective equipment has helped workers limit exposure. But as ProPublica has reported, even breath- ing minuscule amounts of beryllium dust can trigger chronic beryllium dis- ease in some people with sensitivities to the metal, and when it does, the con- sequences can be deadly. The report also faulted the site’s medical contractor for not doing a re- quired analysis of cases of beryllium sensitivity or chronic beryllium disease LERC to host Summer Institute for Union Women July 6-10 The 29th Annual Western Regional Summer Institute for Union Women will take place at Reed College in Port- land July 6-10. The Institute offers a mix of train- ing, cultural events, and team-building exercises for union women, designed to strengthen their leadership skills and build their knowledge about the chal- lenges facing the labor movement in the 21st century. National AFL-CIO Secretary-Treas- urer Liz Shuler will be a keynote speaker at the plenary session July 7 at JUNE 18, 2010 7 p.m. Joining her will be Angie Schira of the British Columbia Federation of Labour and Mary Beth Maxwell from the U.S. Department of Labor. The plenary is open to the public. Core courses throughout the week include Politics Matter — What’s at Stake for Working Women?; Building an Economy that Works for Workers; Effective Leadership Skills; Building Power Through Our Members and Al- lies; Effective Communications — Finding Our Union Voice; and Negoti- ating for Work Family Balance in Tough Times. Six-hour workshops are Singing for the Union; The Art and Noise of Street Heat; Storytelling to Build the Union; Women in Labor History; Generational Unity to Build a Stronger Movement; One World for Justice — Local Action to Support International Solidarity; Survival Strategies and Support Net- works in Non-Traditional Jobs; and Racial Justice — Breaking Through the Barriers that Divide Us. The Institute is co-sponsored annu- NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS ally by the United Association for La- bor Education. This year the event is co-hosted by the University of Oregon Labor Education and Research Center and the Washington State Labor Edu- cation and Research Center at the Ever- green State College. Women members, stewards, offi- cers, and staff from any private or pub- lic sector union are invited to attend. For more information, contact He- len Moss at 503-412-3722; or by e- mail at: hmoss@uoregon.edu. discovered in the past two years. Such analysis could have helped determine whether additional protective action was needed to ensure the health and safety of workers. According to The Associated Press, more than 160 workers have been di- agnosed with sensitivity to beryllium or with the disabling and potentially fatal disease, which gradually robs victims of lung capacity. Tom Peterson is one former Han- ford worker who has the disease. He called the Department of Energy’s re- port “very positive,” but said that im- plementing the inspectors’ recommen- dations for fixing the program will be “the hardest job of all.” “It’s probably one of the best reports that I have seen,” Peterson said. “Man, I just hope it works. That’s the bottom line. We owe it to the workers to take care of them so they don’t have to worry about being exposed, and the ones that are already exposed, we have to take care of them.” (Editor’s Note: This article was reprinted with permission from Pro- Publica, an independent, nonprofit on- line newsroom that produces investiga- tive journalism in the public interest. Marian Wang can be reached at mar- ian.wang@ propublica.org.) PAGE 7
