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Nuclear Metals, Inc.

(Site Profile/Docket Number 211)

Location: West Concord, Massachusetts

Also known as: Starmet, Inc., Whittaker Corp. Nuclear Metals Division, NMI

Special Exposure Cohort Petition Information

The Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) is a unique category of employees established by the Act (42 CFR Part 83). Claims compensated under the SEC do not have to go through the dose reconstruction process. To qualify for compensation under the SEC, a covered employee must meet specific requirements (e.g., must have at least one of 22 “specified cancers,” and have worked for a specified time period at one of the SEC sites). Classes of employees and work sites can be considered for addition to the SEC through a NIOSH petition process. More information about the Special Exposure Cohort can be found on our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Open/Active SEC Petitions

To date, there are no open/active SEC petitions from Nuclear Metals, Inc.

Class(es) Added to the SEC

  • All Atomic Weapons Employees who worked at the facility owned by Nuclear Metals, Inc. (or a subsequent owner) in West Concord, Massachusetts, during the period from October 29, 1958, through December 31, 1979, for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, occurring either solely under this employment, or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees included in the Special Exposure Cohort

    Note: This class was established by Petition 195

  • All Atomic Weapons Employees who worked at the facility owned by Nuclear Metals, Inc. (or a subsequent owner) in West Concord, Massachusetts, during the period from January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1990, for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, occurring either solely under this employment, or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees included in the Special Exposure Cohort.

    Note: This class was established from Petition 195

Petitions Qualified for Evaluation

Below is a list of the petitions that qualified for evaluation. Select a petition on the list to view the table for that particular petition.

Petition 195 (Jan 1, 1958 to Dec 31, 1983)

Steps in Petition Process: Petition Details:

Date Received

October 20, 2011

Date Qualified for Evaluation

January 17, 2012

Summary of Information in Petition

Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All employees

Period of Employment: January 1, 1958 through December 31, 1983

Note: The information above is what qualified for evaluation. During our evaluation of whether dose reconstructions can adequately be completed for the above job titles and period of employment, information may cause NIOSH to change some the dates or job titles/duties. Therefore, as this petition proceeds through the SEC petition process and if an SEC class is proposed, the proposed class may not exactly match the above information.

Copy of the Petition Received

Nuclear Metals, Inc. SEC Petition

Federal Register Notice Announcing that a Nuclear Metals, Inc. SEC Petition has met the Minimum Qualifications for Review and Evaluation

February 8, 2012 [49 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1958 through December 31, 1983)

SEC Petition Evaluation Report

September 4, 2012 [696 KB (78 pages)]
(October 29, 1958 through December 31, 1979)

April 8, 2014 (Addendum) [454 KB (48 pages)]
(January 1, 1980 through December 31, 1990)

Evaluation Report Sent to the Advisory Board

September 4, 2012
(October 29, 1958 through December 31, 1979)

April 9, 2014 (Addendum)
(January 1, 1980 through December 31, 1990)

Petition Discussed by the Advisory Board

The Advisory Board discussed this petition on September 20, 2012, during its regular meeting.
(October 29, 1958 through December 31, 1979)

The Advisory Board discussed the Addendum to this petition on April 29, 2014, during its regular meeting.
(January 1, 1980 through December 31, 1990)

Advisory Board Recommendation on SEC Petition

October 31, 2012 [63 KB (2 pages)]
(October 29, 1958, through December 31, 1979)

June 9, 2014 (Addendum) [39 KB (2 pages)]
(January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1990)

HHS Letters to Congress Regarding the SEC Petition

December 7, 2012 [62 KB (10 pages)]
(October 29, 1958, through December 31, 1979)

July 11, 2014 [93 KB (10 pages)]
(January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1990)

HHS Designation of Additional Members to the SEC

 Designations

Federal Register Notice: Designation Regarding a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort

 Designations

Note: A “designation” will be published if there is a recommendation to add a class to the SEC. A “determination” will be published if there is a recommendation not to add a class to the SEC.

Effective Date for the SEC Class

January 6, 2013
(October 29, 1958, through December 31, 1979)

August 10, 2014
(January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1990)

Federal Register Notice: Final Effect of Determination of a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort

January 17, 2013 [52 KB (1 page)]
(October 29, 1958, through December 31, 1979)

August 15, 2014 [121 KB (2 pages)]
(January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1990)

Letter to DOL Regarding the Addition of a New Class of Employees to the SEC

January 7, 2013 [90 KB (1 page)]
(October 29, 1958, through December 31, 1979)

August 11, 2014 [39 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1990)

SEC Petitions Not Qualifying for Evaluation

There were two additional petitions received from Nuclear Metals, Inc. that did not qualify for evaluation. The petitions did not meet the minimum petition requirements for evaluation.

Worker Outreach Activities

Based on a recommendation from the Advisory Board to provide workers and site experts with opportunities to participate in developing the technical documents used in dose reconstruction, NIOSH established a Worker Outreach Program.

At Worker Outreach Meetings, current and former DOE and AWE employees have opportunities to obtain information about Site Profiles, Technical Basis Documents, and Technical Information Bulletins, and to provide information for consideration and possible use in dose reconstruction. This process is valuable to ensure that the technical documents used in dose reconstruction contain correct and useful information.

Below are the Worker Outreach Activities for Nuclear Metals, Inc.:

Technical Documents

If the energy employee’s personal radiation information is incomplete, NIOSH will use other sources to estimate the radiation dose. This may involve using technical documents called Site Profiles, Technical Basis Documents, and Technical Information Bulletins.

Technical Basis Documents

Technical Information Bulletins (TIBs)

Advisory Board and NIOSH Discussions on Nuclear Metals, Inc.

The Nuclear Metals, Inc. discussion papers listed below are working documents prepared by NIOSH or its contractor for use in discussions with the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health or its Working Groups or Subcommittees. Draft, preliminary, interim, and white paper documents are not final NIOSH or Advisory Board (or their technical support and review contractors) positions unless specifically marked as such. These documents represent preliminary positions taken on technical issues prepared by NIOSH or its contractor.

The discussion papers have been reviewed to identify and redact any information that is protected by the Privacy Act 5 USC §552a and have been cleared for distribution.

Program Evaluation Plans (PEPs) and Program Evaluation Reports (PERs)

NIOSH is committed to applying the best available science in dose reconstructions. In keeping with this commitment, completed cases with probabilities of causation less than 50% are reviewed as relevant new information becomes available. The results of these reviews are described in a Program Evaluation Report (PER). The PER details the effect, if any, of the new information on the completed dose reconstruction. If it appears that the new information may result in an increase in dose for a completed dose reconstruction with a probability of causation of less than 50%, NIOSH is committed to working with the Department of Labor to reopen and rework the dose reconstruction, as appropriate. A Program Evaluation Plan (PEP) describes plans for evaluating specific program details or issues.

  • DCAS-PER-070: Nuclear Metals Inc. Program Evaluation Report, Rev. 0 [72 KB (2 pages)]
    April 5, 2016

    About this Document: Determines the effect of issuing DCAS-TKBS-0010, (Nuclear Metals Inc.) on previously completed claims.

    Summary: A new dose estimate was performed for 18 effected claims using the TBD, as well as all other applicable approved dose reconstruction methods. The resulting probability of causation (POC) was below 45% for 16 claims. The two remaining claims resulted in a POC between 45% and 50%. For those claims, IREP was run 30 times at 10,000 iterations per NIOSH procedures. The resulting POC remained below 50% for both claims. NIOSH will provide the Department of Labor with the list of all claims evaluated under this PER. Since none would now result in a POC greater than 50%, NOSH will not request the return of any of the claims.

Public Comments on Nuclear Metals, Inc. Documents

How to Submit Comments

Comments on Nuclear Metals, Inc. Documents can be submitted to the NIOSH Docket Officer electronically by email at nioshdocket@cdc.gov or printed comments can be mailed to:

NIOSH Docket Office
Robert A. Taft Laboratories, MS-C34
1090 Tusculum Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45226
Please include the Site Profile/Docket Number (211) on all comments.

Comments Received

At this time, no comments have been submitted on Nuclear Metals, Inc. documents.

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