In the period of time at the beginning of “the Cold War” between 1945 and 1962, several countries tested nuclear weapons in the open air. The United States tested weapons in the South Pacific as well as at the Nevada testing grounds. Military maneuvers involving about 200,000 people were conducted as part of many of these tests. In addition, thousands of workers who were employed at several nuclear weapons plant sites were exposed to radiation and other toxic substances.

As we have learned more about cancers caused by radiation exposure questions have been raised about the types of exposures and their impact on military workers.

What Is the Evidence?

There is little doubt that high-dose radiation exposure can cause cancer. Some issues, however, are not as clear, such as the amount of exposure required, and the types of cancer that radiation can cause.

In the late 1970s, a higher than usual number of cases of leukemia (4 expected, 10 found) was seen among the 3,000 troops present at the "Smokey" nuclear test in Nevada in August 1957. The question arose as to whether these cases were caused by radiation from the nuclear tests.

Although the rate of leukemia was higher than expected as of 1979, rates for all cancers combined were actually lower than expected, making the results difficult to interpret. Some cancers are known to have a long latency period – that is, they do not appear until decades after the exposure. The reason for the high leukemia rates of the "Smokey" test remains unexplained..

To date, follow-up of many other troops present at other tests have not shown an increased number of deaths from cancer. British troops present at similar tests have not shown high exposure levels or an increase in cancer deaths.

A recent study compared about 1,000 veterans who received the highest doses of radiation to other veterans who were minimally exposed. The risk of dying from some blood-related cancers (certain leukemias and lymphomas) was more than 3 times higher in those exposed to radiation, and the risk of dying overall was also slightly higher (about 22%). However, the risk was not increased for other types of cancers known to be caused by radiation, and the overall risk of dying from any form of cancer was not higher. Again, these results are difficult to interpret, and radiation may only be one of a number of factors at work.

Results are more clear-cut in other groups, such as in the survivors of the atomic blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and those exposed to fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear plant in the former Soviet Union, where certain cancers such as leukemias and thyroid cancers were significantly more prevalent. Much of this may have to do with the high level of radiation exposure in these groups.

What Has Been Done About These Exposures?

While the scientific evidence is mixed, the government has passed several laws to compensate veterans exposed to radiation during nuclear testing who later developed certain types of cancer or other diseases.

The first major piece of legislation was passed in 1984 as the Veterans’ Dioxin and Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. Although at first limited to certain cancers, this law, after subsequent amendments covered all cancers and four non-cancerous conditions as potentially radiogenic (caused by radiation). When passed in 1984, it required that the veteran prove his or her radiation exposure was sufficiently high to have caused the cancer.

The Radiation-Exposed Veterans Act was passed in 1988. It stated that to be compensated, a veteran has only to show he or she participated in a specified nuclear testing activity and now has a cancer that is caused by radiation (radiogenic), which developed in a reasonable time period after the exposure.

These laws initially recognized only certain types of cancer as caused by radiation; however, in 1998 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs amended these regulations, stating that based on the available evidence, prostate cancer and any other cancers may be caused by ionizing radiation.

Most recently, the U.S. Department of Labor has recognized that people who worked at certain United States nuclear weapons plants are eligible for compensation for certain types of illnesses that may have resulted from their exposure to radiation and other harmful substances. The Labor Department, along with the US Department of Energy, established a new Energy Employee Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) in 2001. This act compensates workers who were exposed to ionizing radiation from December 1, 1965 to January 1, 1974. These workers were employers of the Department of Energy, or its contractors or subcontractors, or beryllium vendors. The coverage is specific to beryllium-related diseases, silicosis, and radiation-related cancers.

Beryllium is a metal found in mineral rocks, coal, soil, volcanic dust and is purified for use in nuclear weapons and reactors. It is a known cancer-causing agent, but can also cause chronic beryllium disease, with respiratory symptoms, weakness, weight loss, and heart disease. Silicosis is also a lung disease cause by breathing in of silica dust, which leads to inflammation and scarring of lung tissue. Silica comes from a naturally occurring crystal found in rock beds during the mining process.

The workers who were employed for at least one year at 3 plants in particular are covered for a list of radiation-related cancers. These plants were located in Paducah, Kentucky, Portsmouth, Ohio, and Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Most workers who are eligible for compensation, worked at least 250 days at the plants and developed cancer after working at the facility. Some of the types of cancer that have been diagnosed have included colon cancer, lung cancer and cancer of the pharynx. Survivors (such as spouses or children) of workers at these plants also may be eligible for benefits, if the employee is no longer living.

The Department of Energy has even hired doctors to help determine if an employee’s illness is due to his work-related exposure. Not all employees wore radiation dose badges, so paperwork evidence that the employee worked at the plant is often all that is necessary. Also, a procedure called a “dose reconstruction” is used, where the case is looked at based on the probability of exposure on the job. If the exposure is over 50% or more, the worker will receive coverage.

The amount received by eligible former employees is a $150,000 lump sum. This can be given to eligible workers even if they are not ill. The most recent part of the act, Part E, includes an amendment to the EEOICPA that provides federal compensation and medical benefits to contractor and subcontractor employees of the Department of Energy (DOE) who worked at certain DOE facilities and sustained an occupational injury as a result of exposure to toxic substances. Certain survivors of these workers are also eligible for benefits. Claims generated by this amendment, which became effective in October 2004, are administered by the Department of Labor’s Division of Energy Employees Occupation Illness Compensation (DEEOIC). This amendment also makes it possible for uranium workers to be compensated for illnesses due to toxic exposure at a uranium mine or mill covered under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (REA).

For more information or to begin the process of investigating a claim contact:

U.S. Department of Labor, DEEOIC
200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room C-3321
Washington, DC 20210
Telephone: 1-866-4-USA_DOL or 1-800-487-2365
Internet Address: www.dol.gov/esa

National Organizations and Web Sites*

In addition to the American Cancer Society, other sources of patient information and support include:

U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20585
Telephone: 1-800-dial-DOE or 1-800-342-5363
Telephone: EEOICP Toll-Free Number: 1-866-888-3322
Internet Address: www.energy.gov

*Inclusion on this list does not imply endorsement by the American Cancer Society.

The American Cancer Society is happy to address almost any cancer-related topic. If you have any more questions, please call us at 1-800-ACS-2345 at any time, 24 hours a day.

References

Clark W. Heath, Jr., MD., Vice President, Epidemiology and Surveillance Research, American Cancer Society, National Home Office (01 May 1997).

Caldwell GG, Kelley D, Zack M, Falk H, Heath CW Jr. Mortality and cancer frequency among military nuclear test (Smoky) participants, 1957 through 1979. JAMA. 1983 Aug 5;250(5):620-624.

Cancer, Radiogenic. U.S. Department of Labor. Available at www.dol.gov/esa. Accessed November 23, 2005.

Claims based on exposure to ionizing radiation (prostate cancer and any other cancer) VA. Final rule. Fed Regist. 1998 Sep 24;63(185):50993-50995.

Contact Phone Numbers. U.S. Department of Labor. Available at www.dol.gov. Accessed November 23, 2005.

Dalager NA, Kang HK, Mahan CM. Cancer mortality among the highest exposed US atmospheric nuclear test participants. J Occup Eviron Med. 2000 Aug;42(8):798-805.

EEOICP News. Available at www.dol.gov/esa. Accessed November 23, 2005.

Energy, Labor Departments Open California Benefits Assistance Center for Nuclear Weapons Workers. Available at www.energy.gov. Article Date: 8/27/2004. Accessed November 29, 2005.

Exposure to Ionizing Radiation. Available at www.dol.gov/esa. Accessed November 23, 2005.

Key Personnel in EEOICP. U.S. Department of Labor. Available at www.dol.gov. Accessed November 23, 2005.

Nuclear Weapons Workers May Qualify for New Federal Benefits. Available at www.cancer.org. Article Date: 10/16/2001. Accessed November 21, 2005.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee: Testimony of Robert G. Card, Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy, March 30, 2004. Available at www.energy.gov. Accessed November 11, 2005.

Silicosis. Medical Encyclopedia. Medline Plus. Available at www.nlm.nih.gov. Accessed December 1, 2005.

Special Exposure Cohort. Available at www.dol.gov/esa. Accessed November 23, 2005.

Survivors. U.S. Department of Labor. Available at www.dol.gov. Accessed November 23, 2005.

ToxFAQs^™ for Beryllium. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Available at www.atsdr.cdc.gov. Accessed December 1, 2005.

What Our Program Does. Available at www.dol.gov/esa. Accessed November 23, 2005.

Revised: 10/12/2006