Appeals: Nuclear Worker Stories
Demijon Dicen, 2015
"Rocky Flats is probably the largest plutonium processing facility in the world." - Atomic Energy Commissions, 1977
Rocky Flats undoubtedly damaged the health and life of countless workers, and today, many are still undergoing the gruesome process of the EEOICPA to obtain compensation for medical bills and treatment. As of today, approximately 11.5 billion dollars of compensation have been paid out nationally for compensation and medical bills, according to the Department of Labor (DOL, 2015). However, the truth of the matter is that most of the workers who have filed for compensation have already died and continue to die. According to a recent article from Dayton Daily News, about 50 percent of claims to the compensation program are survivors of the energy workers who have alreadydied (Poturalski, 2015). It is important to know and hear these worker’s stories, and these appeals only add to the immediate justice that these workers truly deserve from the government. These are only some of their stories.
Charlie Wolf Act
"Charlie Wolf Nuclear Workers Compensation Act - Amends the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to expand the diseases for which individuals who were exposed to radiation from nuclear testing may claim compensation to include chronic lymphocytic leukemia, posterior subcapsular cataracts, nonmalignant thyroid nodular disease, parathyroid adenoma, malignant tumors of the brain and central nervous system, brochio-alveolar carcinoma, and benign neoplasms of the brain and central nervous system." (Library of Congress, 2009).
Introduced in 2009, the Charlie Wolf act was written to essentially abolish the dose reconstruction process and to demand justice for Rocky Flats workers. It was written after Charlie Wolf, a former Rocky Flats who developed a brain tumor and aplastic anemia after working for 10 years at the site (Bison, 2011). In the documentary, “Rocky Flats: Legacy”, Kathy Wolf, Wolf’s wife who also worked at the Rocky Flats Plant, explained how Wolf first applied for compensation in 2002 but was only awarded Part E (exposure to toxic chemicals). After losing his ability to produce white blood cells, undergoing brain tumor surgery, and having a bone marrow transplant, Wolf’s medical bills soared through the roof. However, dosage reconstruction claimed that he only had a 2% chance that radiation actually caused his cancer, and the DOL closed his claim (Bison, 2011). Without receiving any compensation or financial support, the Act was created to gain justice from NIOSH and the DOL. However, even though this act was introduced in 2009, it was never enacted. This shows the failure and lack of justice former Rocky Flats workers still face today (Library of Congress, 2015).
Dying on American Soil...
It is important to note that this video was made in 2011. However, the same struggle in obtaining the justice these former Nuclear Workers deserve is still relevant. Today, countless of workers are still dying from multiple cancers and receive no compensation from the DOL. The fight is not over.
1.Draper, Electra. "Rocky Flats Workers' Burden Still Heavy Even with New Legal Status." The Denver Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
2.Poturalski, Hannah. "Billions Paid to Sickened Energy Plant Workers." Billions Paid to Sickened Energy Plant Workers. Dayton Daily News, 16 May 2015. Web. 31 May 2015.
3."Summaries for the Charlie Wolf Nuclear Workers Compensation Act." GovTrack.us. Library of Congress, 2009. Web. 01 June 2015.
4."U.S. Department of Labor (DEEOIC)." U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) - Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation (DEEOIC). DOL, 2015. Web. 31 May 2015.
5."Worker Stories." Cold War Patriots Worker Stories Comments. Cold War Patriots, n.d. Web. 01 June 2015.
2.Poturalski, Hannah. "Billions Paid to Sickened Energy Plant Workers." Billions Paid to Sickened Energy Plant Workers. Dayton Daily News, 16 May 2015. Web. 31 May 2015.
3."Summaries for the Charlie Wolf Nuclear Workers Compensation Act." GovTrack.us. Library of Congress, 2009. Web. 01 June 2015.
4."U.S. Department of Labor (DEEOIC)." U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) - Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation (DEEOIC). DOL, 2015. Web. 31 May 2015.
5."Worker Stories." Cold War Patriots Worker Stories Comments. Cold War Patriots, n.d. Web. 01 June 2015.