PRESS RELEASE
|
Immediate Release |
For More Information |
|
Tuesday, April 22, 2003 |
Tom Carpenter (206) 292-2850, 419-5829 (cell) |
Exposure to Tank Vapors at Hanford
Creating New Round of Injured Workers
Government Ignoring Potentially Deadly Hazards to Workers
Richland, WA: Workers at Hanford are being sickened by toxic vapors from underground storage tanks containing radioactive waste, according to the Government Accountability Project (GAP), a group that represents Hanford whistleblowers. This latest revelation comes just one day before the government is set to hand out its first check to a Hanford worker who contracted cancer from radiation exposure.
GAP has obtained an internal draft study conducted by a Hanford science contractor, Battelle, that shows that even a single exposure to vapors from Hanford's high-level waste tanks can dramatically increase a worker's chance of contracting cancer.
Hanford’s 177 large underground tanks routinely build up gases that vent from various openings such as pipes and risers in the tank. The tanks contain the toxic residue of 45 years of plutonium production, and represent some of the deadliest materials on the planet. An estimated 53 million gallons of liquid and solid waste is stored in the tanks, a third of which have leaked substantial amounts of waste into the soils beneath the tanks.
The vapors are known to contain ammonia gas, as well as hundreds of other toxic chemicals, many of which are known or suspected carcinogens. The chemicals can interact to form new chemicals, according to the draft internal study, increasing the potential risk to workers. CHG Inc., the Hanford contractor responsible for monitoring tank fumes, doesn’t even test for some of the chemicals that may form during the venting process.
GAP represents three CHG electricians who have suffered numerous exposures to these vapors, and have documented health concerns as a result. An increasing number of worker exposures to tank vapors have occurred in the past 18 months because of increased activity around the tanks. CHG admitted to over twenty confirmed exposures in 2002 alone, and GAP asserts that there may be many more exposures that went unreported. Many of the reported exposures required medical attention.
Electrician Steve Lewis experienced several vapor exposures, beginning in 1999. He describes fumes that were so potent that it was impossible to breathe until he left the area. Vapor exposures caused him to suffer nose-bleeds, headaches, respiratory pain, and stinging skin. After a January 2002 exposure, his face was bright red in all areas where is skin was exposed and he had a, metallic taste in his mouth.
Another worker, Lloyd Stone, suffered six vapor exposures between January and April 2002. After each exposure he would raise concerns to CHG managers by showing the irritation on his face and stating that he did not believe that CHG was affording enough protection from the vapors. He has suffered severe nosebleeds on a weekly basis, rashes and burning, raised welts on face, burning nasal passages, and a metallic taste on his lips.
Electrician Tom Young suffered similar exposures and injuries. Yet despite their complaints to their own managers, and to the Department of Energy, none of these workers were allowed to use supplied air respiratory equipment when out in the tank areas. All three have complaints pending with the U.S. Department of Labor for alleged retaliation against them for raising concerns.
On Wednesday, April 23, 2003 the Department of Energy is sending Kyle McSlarrow, Deputy Secretary of Energy to the Hanford Site to preside over a ceremony to hand out the first of what is expected to be many $150,000 checks to a Hanford employee whom the government as admitted it injured as a result of radiation exposure. GAP is calling on the Department of Energy to work harder on preventing new exposures, and new cancer cases, by taking action on cases like the vapor exposures.
"Unfortunately, the Bush Administration seems more interested in the media opportunities to make them look good as opposed to actually doing the harder work of doing good," said Carpenter.
# # # # #
A Powerpoint presentation about the tank vapors is available online at www.whistleblower.org
For more information, go to GAP’s Website at www.whistleblower.org and follow the Hanford links.
________________________________________________________ Fact Sheet
· Since 1990, work at the Hanford Nuclear Site, a former nuclear weapons production facility located in southeastern Washington state, has been focused on cleaning up the highly contaminated toxic and radioactive nuclear waste that was produced over the 45 years that the facility was in operation.
· The Hanford Nuclear site covers 560 square miles. It is owned by the Department of Energy and operated by several private contractors. CH2M Hill Hanford Group Inc., (CHG) , is a principal contractor in charge of tank farm operations at Hanford.
· More than 53 million gallons of high-level nuclear and non-nuclear toxic waste are stored at Hanford in 177 underground storage tanks. All of these tanks have exceeded their projected stable lifetime by at least twenty years and a third of them are confirmed to have failed, and have leaked into the ground and groundwater beneath the tanks.
· In addition to radioactivity, other substances such as benzene (a carcinogen), nitrous oxide, hydrazine, butanol, methyalmene, acetone, hexane, xylene, and ammonia are released from the tanks and into the breathing environment of workers.
· One tank, designated Tank C-103, was reported to contain 221 chemical compounds. A Hanford contractor scientist who works for Battelle, stated that "no information exists on the toxicity of "a large fraction" of those 221 chemicals.” (quoted in the Tri-City Herald, August 12, 1997, available on-line).
· When workers request more protective respirators than the basic respirators that CHG is willing to provide, their requests are denied on the grounds that supplied air and air-line respirators are only permitted in special hazard conditions - as determined by a CHG Industrial Hygiene Technician.
· Monitoring is conducted on a “spot-check” basis. Several workers have informed GAP that when CHG is notified of a worker exposure to vapors, monitoring often is not performed until hours later, by which time the vapor plume has dissipated.
PRESS RELEASE
|
Immediate Release |
For More Information |
|
Tuesday, April 22, 2003 |
Tom Carpenter (206) 292-2850, 419-5829 (cell) |
Exposure to Tank Vapors at Hanford
Creating New Round of Injured Workers
Government Ignoring Potentially Deadly Hazards to Workers
Richland, WA: Workers at Hanford are being sickened by toxic vapors from underground storage tanks containing radioactive waste, according to the Government Accountability Project (GAP), a group that represents Hanford whistleblowers. This latest revelation comes just one day before the government is set to hand out its first check to a Hanford worker who contracted cancer from radiation exposure.
GAP has obtained an internal draft study conducted by a Hanford science contractor, Battelle, that shows that even a single exposure to vapors from Hanford's high-level waste tanks can dramatically increase a worker's chance of contracting cancer.
Hanford’s 177 large underground tanks routinely build up gases that vent from various openings such as pipes and risers in the tank. The tanks contain the toxic residue of 45 years of plutonium production, and represent some of the deadliest materials on the planet. An estimated 53 million gallons of liquid and solid waste is stored in the tanks, a third of which have leaked substantial amounts of waste into the soils beneath the tanks.
The vapors are known to contain ammonia gas, as well as hundreds of other toxic chemicals, many of which are known or suspected carcinogens. The chemicals can interact to form new chemicals, according to the draft internal study, increasing the potential risk to workers. CHG Inc., the Hanford contractor responsible for monitoring tank fumes, doesn’t even test for some of the chemicals that may form during the venting process.
GAP represents three CHG electricians who have suffered numerous exposures to these vapors, and have documented health concerns as a result. An increasing number of worker exposures to tank vapors have occurred in the past 18 months because of increased activity around the tanks. CHG admitted to over twenty confirmed exposures in 2002 alone, and GAP asserts that there may be many more exposures that went unreported. Many of the reported exposures required medical attention.
Electrician Steve Lewis experienced several vapor exposures, beginning in 1999. He describes fumes that were so potent that it was impossible to breathe until he left the area. Vapor exposures caused him to suffer nose-bleeds, headaches, respiratory pain, and stinging skin. After a January 2002 exposure, his face was bright red in all areas where is skin was exposed and he had a, metallic taste in his mouth.
Another worker, Lloyd Stone, suffered six vapor exposures between January and April 2002. After each exposure he would raise concerns to CHG managers by showing the irritation on his face and stating that he did not believe that CHG was affording enough protection from the vapors. He has suffered severe nosebleeds on a weekly basis, rashes and burning, raised welts on face, burning nasal passages, and a metallic taste on his lips.
Electrician Tom Young suffered similar exposures and injuries. Yet despite their complaints to their own managers, and to the Department of Energy, none of these workers were allowed to use supplied air respiratory equipment when out in the tank areas. All three have complaints pending with the U.S. Department of Labor for alleged retaliation against them for raising concerns.
On Wednesday, April 23, 2003 the Department of Energy is sending Kyle McSlarrow, Deputy Secretary of Energy to the Hanford Site to preside over a ceremony to hand out the first of what is expected to be many $150,000 checks to a Hanford employee whom the government as admitted it injured as a result of radiation exposure. GAP is calling on the Department of Energy to work harder on preventing new exposures, and new cancer cases, by taking action on cases like the vapor exposures.
"Unfortunately, the Bush Administration seems more interested in the media opportunities to make them look good as opposed to actually doing the harder work of doing good," said Carpenter.
# # # # #
A Powerpoint presentation about the tank vapors is available online at www.whistleblower.org
For more information, go to GAP’s Website at www.whistleblower.org and follow the Hanford links.
________________________________________________________ Fact Sheet
· Since 1990, work at the Hanford Nuclear Site, a former nuclear weapons production facility located in southeastern Washington state, has been focused on cleaning up the highly contaminated toxic and radioactive nuclear waste that was produced over the 45 years that the facility was in operation.
· The Hanford Nuclear site covers 560 square miles. It is owned by the Department of Energy and operated by several private contractors. CH2M Hill Hanford Group Inc., (CHG) , is a principal contractor in charge of tank farm operations at Hanford.
· More than 53 million gallons of high-level nuclear and non-nuclear toxic waste are stored at Hanford in 177 underground storage tanks. All of these tanks have exceeded their projected stable lifetime by at least twenty years and a third of them are confirmed to have failed, and have leaked into the ground and groundwater beneath the tanks.
· In addition to radioactivity, other substances such as benzene (a carcinogen), nitrous oxide, hydrazine, butanol, methyalmene, acetone, hexane, xylene, and ammonia are released from the tanks and into the breathing environment of workers.
· One tank, designated Tank C-103, was reported to contain 221 chemical compounds. A Hanford contractor scientist who works for Battelle, stated that "no information exists on the toxicity of "a large fraction" of those 221 chemicals.” (quoted in the Tri-City Herald, August 12, 1997, available on-line).
· When workers request more protective respirators than the basic respirators that CHG is willing to provide, their requests are denied on the grounds that supplied air and air-line respirators are only permitted in special hazard conditions - as determined by a CHG Industrial Hygiene Technician.
· Monitoring is conducted on a “spot-check” basis. Several workers have informed GAP that when CHG is notified of a worker exposure to vapors, monitoring often is not performed until hours later, by which time the vapor plume has dissipated.