Latest News and Efforts from the Government Accountability ProjectExposure to Tank Vapors at Hanford Creating New Round of Injured Workers
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22 Apr 2003 16:30:00 -0000
<h1>Exposure to Tank Vapors at Hanford Creating New Round of Injured Workers</h1><br><br><b>Tom Carpenter</b><br><br><i>Even as the government hands out the first check tomorrow to a Hanford worker who contracted cancer as a result of radiation exposure there, a new round of injured workers is being created by what critics charge are criminally-negligent exposures to vapors coming from high-level nuclear waste tanks.</i><br><br><br><br><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-top:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:center'><b>PRESS RELEASE</b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-top:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:center'><b> </b></p>
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style='margin-left:5.0pt;border-collapse:collapse'>
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<td width=292 valign=top style='width:218.8pt;padding:0in 5.0pt 0in 5.0pt'>
<p><b>Immediate Release </b></p>
</td>
<td width=291 valign=top style='width:218.55pt;padding:0in 5.0pt 0in 5.0pt'>
<p>For More Information</p>
</td>
</tr>
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<td width=292 valign=top style='width:218.8pt;padding:0in 5.0pt 0in 5.0pt'>
<p><b>Tuesday, April 22, 2003</b></p>
</td>
<td width=291 valign=top style='width:218.55pt;padding:0in 5.0pt 0in 5.0pt'>
<p>Tom Carpenter (206)
292-2850, 419-5829 (cell) </p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-top:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;
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<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-top:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:center'><b>Exposure to Tank Vapors at </b><b>Hanford</b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-top:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:center'><b>Creating New Round of Injured Workers</b></p>
<p><b>Government Ignoring Potentially Deadly Hazards to
Workers</b></p>
<p> </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Electrician
Steve Lewis experienced several vapor exposures, beginning in 1999. <ins cite="mailto:Preferred%20Customer" datetime="2003-04-21T21:22"> </ins><ins cite="mailto:Preferred%20Customer" datetime="2003-04-21T21:23"> </ins>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>"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<ins cite="mailto:Tom"
datetime="2003-04-22T09:03">.</ins></p>
<p># # # # # </p>
<p> </p>
<p>A Powerpoint
presentation about the tank vapors is available online at www.whistleblower.org<b>
</p>
<p>For more information, go to GAP’s Website at
www.whistleblower.org and follow the Hanford links.</p>
________________________________________________________
</p>
</p><b>Fact Sheet</b></h1>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p>·
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.</p>
<p>·
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.</p>
<p>·
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. </p>
<p>·
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.</p>
<p>·
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).</p>
<p>·
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 <ins
cite="mailto:Preferred%20Customer" datetime="2003-04-21T20:40">T</ins>echnician.
</p>
<p>·
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. </p>
<ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc>
<li>The Government Accountability Project is a non-profit
watchdog organization that provides legal services to whistleblowers. It
has represented dozens of other Hanford whistleblowers since 1988.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<br><br>If you no longer wish to receive these e-mails, please send an email with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line. To one of the addresses below.<br><br>If you are recieving these emails from <a href=mailto:gap-general-list-request@whistleblower.org>gap-general-list@whistleblower.org</a><br><br>If you are recieving these emails from <a href=mailto:gap-media-request@whistleblower.org>gap-media-list@whistleblower.org</a><br><h1>Exposure to Tank Vapors at Hanford Creating New Round of Injured Workers</h1><br><br><b>Tom Carpenter</b><br><br><i>Even as the government hands out the first check tomorrow to a Hanford worker who contracted cancer as a result of radiation exposure there, a new round of injured workers is being created by what critics charge are criminally-negligent exposures to vapors coming from high-level nuclear waste tanks.</i><br><br><br><br><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-top:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:center'><b>PRESS RELEASE</b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-top:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:center'><b> </b></p>
<table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0
style='margin-left:5.0pt;border-collapse:collapse'>
<tr>
<td width=292 valign=top style='width:218.8pt;padding:0in 5.0pt 0in 5.0pt'>
<p><b>Immediate Release </b></p>
</td>
<td width=291 valign=top style='width:218.55pt;padding:0in 5.0pt 0in 5.0pt'>
<p>For More Information</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=292 valign=top style='width:218.8pt;padding:0in 5.0pt 0in 5.0pt'>
<p><b>Tuesday, April 22, 2003</b></p>
</td>
<td width=291 valign=top style='width:218.55pt;padding:0in 5.0pt 0in 5.0pt'>
<p>Tom Carpenter (206)
292-2850, 419-5829 (cell) </p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-top:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:center'><b> </b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-top:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:center'><b>Exposure to Tank Vapors at </b><b>Hanford</b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-top:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:center'><b>Creating New Round of Injured Workers</b></p>
<p><b>Government Ignoring Potentially Deadly Hazards to
Workers</b></p>
<p> </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Electrician
Steve Lewis experienced several vapor exposures, beginning in 1999. <ins cite="mailto:Preferred%20Customer" datetime="2003-04-21T21:22"> </ins><ins cite="mailto:Preferred%20Customer" datetime="2003-04-21T21:23"> </ins>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>"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<ins cite="mailto:Tom"
datetime="2003-04-22T09:03">.</ins></p>
<p># # # # # </p>
<p> </p>
<p>A Powerpoint
presentation about the tank vapors is available online at www.whistleblower.org<b>
</p>
<p>For more information, go to GAP’s Website at
www.whistleblower.org and follow the Hanford links.</p>
________________________________________________________
</p>
</p><b>Fact Sheet</b></h1>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p>·
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.</p>
<p>·
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.</p>
<p>·
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. </p>
<p>·
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.</p>
<p>·
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).</p>
<p>·
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 <ins
cite="mailto:Preferred%20Customer" datetime="2003-04-21T20:40">T</ins>echnician.
</p>
<p>·
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. </p>
<ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc>
<li>The Government Accountability Project is a non-profit
watchdog organization that provides legal services to whistleblowers. It
has represented dozens of other Hanford whistleblowers since 1988.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<br><br>If you no longer wish to receive these e-mails, please send an email with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line. To one of the addresses below.<br><br>If you are recieving these emails from <a href=mailto:gap-general-list-request@whistleblower.org>gap-general-list@whistleblower.org</a><br><br>If you are recieving these emails from <a href=mailto:gap-media-request@whistleblower.org>gap-media-list@whistleblower.org</a><br>