Gauging the Risks for Uranium-Plant Workers
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has awarded $1.8 million over three years to a team led by U of L School of Public Health and Information Sciences professor David Tollerud to study worker safety at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
The plant produces enriched uranium used in power plants and other commercial applications. The facility employs about 1,700 workers and is the only remaining plant in the nation that has not been targeted for a comprehensive occupational health study.
Tollerud, along with colleagues from the University of Cincinnati and the University of Kentucky, will study the health effects of exposure to chemicals and radiation by workers at the plant during its 53-year history. More than 8,000 people have worked at the plant since it opened in 1952.
Researchers want to determine if working in the plant poses significant health risks over a period of time. The study will address perceived risks as well as provide information to plant workers and management on the lasts preventive measures against diseases caused by radiation exposure.
By combining results for the Paducah facility with data gathered from similar plants at Portsmouth, N.H., and Oak Ridge, Tenn., researchers will create a powerful statistical database that can be used to analyze long-term health effects of concern to uranium enrichment workers.
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell was key in securing federal funding for the study.
