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 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010 9:54 pm |
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Local News 
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Woman seeks out Hanford workers When Sue Boone leaves home in Everett and goes to work in Seattle, she’s far from any obvious remnants of the Cold War.Yet in her job, she sees close-up how some workers who built and maintained U.S. nuclear weapons facilities during that era still carry serious burdens. Boone is outreach manager for the Building Trades National Medical Screening Program. It offers free medical exams to construction workers who were employed at Department of Energy facilities where nuclear weapons were made. Today especially, Boone wants to spread the word, help is available. For the first time ever, hundreds of thousands of Americans who built this country’s nuclear defense are being recognized with a national day of remembrance. In May, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., was among several sponsors of a Senate resolution which designated today, Oct. 30, as a day to honor nuclear weapons program workers, uranium miners and others who played critical roles in U.S. security and history. “These dedicated workers paid a high price for their service, and many have developed disabling or fatal illnesses as a result of hazards that are unique to the production and testing of nuclear weapons,” Murray said in a statement May 21, the day after the resolution was adopted. Tom Reynolds, the Department of Energy’s deputy director of public affairs, said Thursday that more than 700,000 people have been involved in U.S. nuclear defense programs. They worked at almost two dozen Department of Energy sites, including Hanford. “We’re indebted to them,” Reynolds said. “The goal is to honor them and thank them for the enormous contribution they made to our national security effort.” Cold War Patriots, a nonprofit organization of people who have worked at nuclear weapons sites and in uranium mining, is hosting several national day of remembrance events, including one in Richland near the Hanford nuclear reservation. Cameron Hardy, a DOE spokesman at Hanford, sees today as a recognition not only of past sacrifices, but of about 11,000 people now toiling on an enormous environmental effort. “Right now, DOE is involved in the cleanup of Hanford after decades of producing plutonium for the nation’s defense,” he said. “This is also about people who still give every day to the cleanup, that legacy of plutonium.” Hardy said many people aren’t fully aware of Hanford’s huge contributions. “Hanford was the workhorse of the Cold War. A third of the plutonium in the nation during the Cold War was produced at Hanford,” he said. Through the screening program, Boone is in contact with many who had a hand in construction at Hanford. “We’ve put a number of Snohomish County residents through the program. The majority of them have worked at Hanford,” the Everett woman said. “And a good number of them worked on Amchitka.” In the 1960s and early ’70s, the Aleutian island of Amchitka was the site of underground nuclear detonations. Some workers seeking help through the screening program, which is funded by the DOE, have been exposed to beryllium, asbestos, silica and radiation, Boone said. If work-related illnesses are found, payments and medical coverage may be available through the federal Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. “These plants were filled with really awful things. People got exposed to a lot of it, they just inhaled it,” she said. When job-related illnesses are found, mostly cancers and lung disease, compensation of up to $150,000 comes from the Department of Labor, she said. Boone hears heart-rending comments. “At a lot of these places, during the time they worked there, they were told it was top secret. People didn’t know what they were doing,” she said. “Other workers have seen friends die, and they’re afraid to find out they might have something wrong.” Hardy, the Hanford spokesman, knows building a nuclear defense didn’t come without pain. “Certainly, people had exposures,” Hardy said. “They paid a high price for their service to the nation. That’s what the remembrance is about, too.” Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460, muhlstein@heraldnet.com. More information Cold War Patriots is a nonprofit organization advocating support and awareness for nuclear weapons complex workers and uranium miners. The group will host a national day of remembrance event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Richland Community Center, 500 Amon Park Drive in Richland. Information: www.coldwarpatriots.org The Building Trades National Medical Screening Program offers free exams to those who worked in construction at Department of Energy or Atomic Energy Commission facilities, including Hanford. To find out more: 800-866-9663 or www.btmed.org. |
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