Thursday, December 09, 1999
Fernald worker database needs funds
BY RACHEL MELCER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Filling out questionnaires and undergoing medical tests, thousands of Fernald employees are giving tens of thousands of answers about the work they did at the former uranium processing plant. But no one has yet responded to their most pressing questions.
They want to know, statistically, what diseases they might have or might develop after years spent working around radioactive and toxic materials.
They want their doctors to be able to screen for suspect ailments. And they want to know if they should be taking additional precautions — quitting smoking or changing their diets — to ward off potential disease.
University of Cincinnati scientist Susan Pinney told fellow members of the Fernald Health Effects Subcommittee this week that she could find those answers by analyzing the results of workers' medical tests and employment history questionnaires. But someone needs to foot the estimated $800,000 bill to create, study and maintain the database.
Attorney Eric Kearney said Wednesday he is asking the Department of Energy (DOE) to do so. And he is optimistic.
“We are making progress, and we're talking to the appropriate parties in order to see if we can get the funding,” he said. “It's a request. It's not a demand, and it's not anything they're required to do.”
Paved the way
DOE paid workers $15 million for the medical monitoring program in 1995 to settle a lawsuit. More than 2,500 current and former employees have participated in the exams.
But unlike employees at other federal nuclear cleanup sites, who followed Fernald workers' lead in suing, the local group did not ask for additional money to pay for data analysis.
“Our program is unique because it was the first one. ... We broke a lot of ground. But the ones that followed were able to benefit from our knowledge and they were able to have these databases,” said Mr. Kearney, who oversees the Fernald settlement fund.
“I wouldn't say it's a departure for DOE. They've (paid for databases) at other sites,” he continued. “That's our chief argument, seeking a little bit of consistency.”
DOE, which is spending billions to clean up Fernald, turned down an earlier request for database funding. Officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Dr. Pinney said it would cost an estimated $368,740 to create the database, enter the information, analyze workers' risk of developing certain cancers, and maintain the system for one year. Keeping it going for an additional 29 years would cost between $391,000 and $482,000, depending on how many workers continued to participate.
For help with care
“This would make the delivery of care more effective and more focused,” she said.
Mr. Kearney said he hopes to secure funding by this summer — but there is no guarantee that DOE will respond to his request.
Data on health risks could be used to bolster workers' compensation claims against DOE and its contractors, Dr. Pinney said.
Gene Branham, spokesman for the Fernald Atomic Trades and Labor Council, said the workers will not give up in their quest for answers.
“DOE has not been friendly to the worker, historically. So we have no reason to believe they will support it,” he said. “If we have to, we will find our own source of funding. ... There's no shortage of support” within the union.
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