The Nuclear Weapons Complex Management for Health, Safety, and the Environment (1989) / Chapter Skim
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5. Health
5. Health
Pages 71-80
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From page 71... ...
Occupational health programs are instituted to protect workers, while environmental controls are established to protect public health. The principles of occupational health management apply to both chemical and radiation hazards.
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From page 72... ...
The Role of Medical Expertise Conclusion The centralfocus of programs in health physics, safety, industrial hygiene, emergency planning, and medical programs is the protection of human health; but occupational medical input to decisions is inadequate. In general, the interaction among the health physics, safety, and industrial hygiene professionals seems to be effective.
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From page 73... ...
The DOE headquarters medical department should be given sufficient resources to administer, monitor, and elect change in these programs. Chemical Hazards Conclusion While substantial progress has been mode to control exposures to ionizing radiation in the weapons complex, as evidenced by the significant reduction in occupational doses, there appears to be a less than adequate emphasis on hazards associated with exposures to chemicals routinely used in industrial operations.
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From page 74... ...
Programs of this type are an integral component of an effective occupational health program; they include periodic medical examinations, industrial hygiene and/or health physics measurements in the workplace, bioassays to measure exposures, and other studies as appropriate. The findings from ongoing monitoring and surveillance programs provide data from which adverse effects resulting from low-level occupational exposures can be identified at the earliest possible time.
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From page 75... ...
. BEIR V provides estimates of low-dose cancer mortality risks based on extrapolation of cancer rates induced from high doses of ionizing radiation.
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From page 76... ...
For comparison, the calculated dose to the "maximally exposed individual" (a hypothetical nearby resident considered to receive the highest possible radiation dose from the facility) at Hanford in 1987 was 0.0005 mSv/yr (Pacific Northwest Laboratory 1988~.
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From page 77... ...
Although the weight of current scientific evidence suggests that, at the estimated levels of exposure, leukemia clusters reported in the British studies are not the result of radiation exposure, the committee believes that a similar study should be conducted in the vicinity of a DOE facility. Such a study should investigate at least childhood leukemia and adult multiple myeloma.
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From page 78... ...
Epidemiology on Exposure of the Nonworker Population Conclusion In spite of the limitations imposed by low levels of exposure and small population sizes, dose reconstruction and epidemiology studies can provide a useful mechanismfor addressing public concerns about the potentialfor adverse health effects in areas near weapons facilities. The Department of Energy recognizes that it must address public concerns arising from past and current exposures to radiation released from the weapons complex facilities.
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From page 79... ...
For example, the National Cancer Institute is supporting work at the University of Utah to conduct dose reconstruction and epidemiologic studies of populations living in the vicinity of atmospheric tests (Wachholz, in press)
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From page 80... ...
Recommendation The Department of Energy should continue to support dose reconstruction and epidemiologic studies of relationships, if any, between exposure to low levels of radiation from the facilities and the incidence of disease to improve scientific understanding and to inform the public. The studies should be designed and directed independently in a manner that involves public participation and external peer review.
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