News From USW: USW Slams Feds for Turning Blind Eye to Public Health Threat.

Union Says Government Report on Nuclear Fuel Services Failed to Study Radioactivity and Other Serious Risks

PITTSBURGH -- News From USW: The union representing hourly workers at Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc., (NFS) in Erwin, Tenn., said today it has many "troubling concerns" with the recent study by a federal government toxics agency regarding the plant's impact on area residents and the environment.

The United Steelworkers (USW) criticized the recent study by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) for focusing too much on a single solvent no longer used there rather than on other pressing concerns such as radioactivity.

USW District 9 Director Stan Johnson said, "Our union's review of the ATSDR report indicates it was done so poorly that they didn't even assess the obvious risks. It looks like a case of pollution collusion between Bush regulatory agencies and NFS military contractors."

USW Environmental Projects Coordinator Diane Heminway said the report selectively reviews - and excludes - publicly available information. For instance, the report didn't look at a 15 year-old National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health study indicating a high incidence of kidney diseases in the area of the nuclear fuel plant.

Heminway wrote in the union's comments that "It is disturbing to note that ATSDR failed to assess the public health risks associated with radioactive substances at the Nuclear Fuel Services site, claiming a lack of legislative authority to do so." The USW challenged this assertion. (The full text of the USW comments is available at http://www.usw.org/usw/program/adminlinks/docs//Comments.pdf)

She said the recent government report reads as if NFS has a stellar record in handling extremely radioactive materials, when in fact the House Committee on Energy and Commerce found that NFS has a history of significant accidental releases, improper onsite disposal of hazardous materials, and failure to account for materials such as highly enriched uranium. The ATSDR report is available at: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/nfs/nfsphabrown.pdf

Johnson said, "The government pollution inspectors should get right back out there and do a more thorough job. We want a comprehensive study to look at the risks posed by NFS's pollution legacy. It's the government's duty to protect the people of Tennessee, not to 'whitewash' the actions of Nuclear Fuel Services."

He said the USW will continue to look out for the health and well-being of union members at Nuclear Fuel Services, as well as their families and other members of the community.

USW Local 9-766 represents 370 workers at NFS processing nuclear fuel for the United States Navy fleet and Tennessee Valley Authority power plants. The USW is the largest industrial union in North America with 850,000 active members.