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CINCINNATI
- The U.S. Department of Labor has rejected nearly three
out of four compensation claims from workers who say they were made
sick by exposure to materials at a former uranium processing site.
The Feed Materials Production Center at Fernald, about 18 miles
northwest of Cincinnati, produced enriched uranium for the Defense
Department's nuclear weapons program from the 1950s until 1989.
The government has set up a compensation program that will pay up
to $150,000 to a worker who contracted a radiation-caused cancer or
lung disease because of exposure at the plant.
The Labor Department uses medical records, badges that measured a
worker's exposure to radiation and other records to determine if
there is at least a 50 percent likelihood that a worker's illness
came from working at the site.
The department has received claims from 1,148 workers and, as of
Thursday, had rejected 610 claims and approved 192.
Rudy Crawford, who worked at Fernald for 35 years, says although
his claim for benefits was approved, other deserving claims are
being rejected.
"We're getting guys turned down that were bombarded with all
kinds of gases and fumes," Crawford said. "They're getting turned
down because the doctors and scientists say they don't meet the 50
percent criteria."
Larry Elliott, director of the Office of Compensation, Analysis
and Support for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health, said the determinations are as fair as possible.
"I'm confident we're not seeing anyone denied that should be
compensated," he said.
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