The Savannah River Site (SRS) is a US DOE industrial complex that produces, processes, secures, and stores nuclear materials for national defense. It also engages in atomic nonproliferation efforts as well as the development and deployment of environmental protection technologies related to the treatment of solid and liquid hazardous nuclear wastes. The facility was originally built to produce plutonium-239 and tritium for nuclear weapons in the 1950s. these operations left the site with thousands of different types of toxic substances. Current and former SRS federal and contractor employees have been exposed to these harmful toxins and radiation, which are associated with the development of chronic illnesses and cancer.
Who works at SRS?
SRS employs about 12,700 people including federal government and its contractor employees. Federal employees at SRS include those working under The Department of Energy the Savannah River Operations Office, The National Nuclear Security Administration, the US Forest Service–Savannah River, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Contractors’ employees include those working for the:
- Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC – Management and operations of SRS
- Battelle Savannah River Alliance, LLC – Management and operations of Savannah \River National Laboratory
- Savannah River Mission Completion, LLC – Liquid waste operations
- Centerra Group, LLC – SRS Security
- University of Georgia – Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
History of SRS nuclear and chemical Contamination
From 1953 to 1988, SRS produced plutonium and other radionuclides for military and commercial purposes. Irradiated materials from the five reactors were moved to a chemical separation plant. The irradiated fuel and target assemblies were processed in canyons to separate useful products from waste. The refined nuclear materials were shipped to other DOE sites for final application.
Up to 1988 SRS had produced about 36 metric tons of plutonium. During this period, hazardous materials were processed, treated, and stored at the site. Liquid waste was disposed of in seepage basins, solid waste in pits and piles, and low-level radioactive waste in landfills.
SRS cleanup activities began in 1985. In 1989, the site was listed on EPA’s national priorities list due to chemical (metals and solvents) and radiological contamination of on-site groundwater. Since that time, DOE has addressed many contamination and disposal issues. SRS initiated the Environmental Management Program to facilitate the evaluation and clean-up of sources of contamination. Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC) oversaw and managed the environmental cleanup and restoration at SRS from 1989 until December 2005, and Washington Savannah River Company LLC until 2009.
In 1992, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began a Dose Reconstruction Project at SRS to examine the release of chemicals and radionuclides from 1954 to 1992 (the main operating period). Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) scientists reviewed the dose reconstruction report and agreed with the findings that the primary pathways of concern were through air and surface water releases. Four of the five reactors were permanently shut down by 1993, and the remaining reactor was on cold standby. Remediation and waste-handling activities continued. Waste handling, storage, and spills have resulted in on-site groundwater and Savannah River contamination.
EEOICPA Compensation for SRS Current and Former Employees
The EEOICPA (Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act) became effective in July 2001. The Act made it easier for affected nuclear workers and their survivors to claim compensation without filing a tort claim. As of February 2024, the EEOICPA program had disbursed over $25 billion in compensation and medical benefits to 141,000 current and former DOE federal employees and DOE contractors/subcontractors.
The Act provides compensation and medical benefits to affected persons in two parts, B and E. Part E operates similarly to a workers’ compensation program paying variable cash benefits based on impairment and wage loss. It provides medical benefits to former DOE contractors and uranium workers occupationally exposed to toxic substances.
Part B covers (DOE) employees and contractors, atomic weapons employees, and uranium workers affected by illnesses caused by exposure to radiation, beryllium, or silica. Illnesses covered under part B include beryllium sensitivity, chronic beryllium disease, chronic silicosis, and radiogenic cancer. Part B compensation is also based on the probability of causation derived from dose reconstruction. At dose reconstruction, the worker’s work history at covered employment and radiation exposure is evaluated to determine the likelihood that their cancer was caused by exposure to ionizing radiation. Part B benefits are based on the Special Exposure Cohort (SEC), which allows compensation without the burden of providing causation. About 70% of EEOICPA part B compensation is awarded through the SEC class. Workers from the same worksite can petition for inclusion in a SEC class based on the site’s work and exposure history.
Savannah River Site has two SEC classes:
The first SEC ended on 12/31/1972 and applied to all workers on the site. The new SEC covers the period from 1/1/1973 to 12/31/1990 but only covers construction subcontractors.
- January 1, 1953 – September 30, 1972
This class includes all employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, and their contractors and subcontractors who worked at the Savannah River Site from January 1, 1953, through September 30, 1972, for 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 in the Special Exposure Cohort.
- October 1, 1972 – December 31, 1990
The new SEC is limited to construction trade employees of Department of Energy subcontractors (excluding employees of the following prime contractors who worked at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina, during the specified periods: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, October 1, 1972, through March 31, 1989; and Westinghouse Savannah River Company, April 1, 1989, through December 31, 1990), who worked at the Savannah River Site from October 1, 1972, 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.
The federal government confirmed the presence of traces of asbestos and beryllium in many buildings at the facility. Exposure to radiation is associated with the development of certain types of cancers and hearing loss. A 2007 comparative study involving 18,883 SRS workers hired between 1950 and 1986 shows that many SRS hourly male employees die of leukemia and cancer of the pleura. A significant number of female employee deaths resulted from kidney and skin cancers. The study attributes these findings to occupational hazards, including asbestos and ionizing radiation.
Filing a successful EEICPA claims can be difficult without the help of an experienced attorney. We have helped many SRS current and former workers get EEOICPA compensation for their illnesses including chronic beryllium disease (CBD), beryllium sensitivity, asbestosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Some of EEOICPA Cancer Claims which have been accepted for include cancers multiple myeloma, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, thyroid cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, chronic myeloid leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, kidney/renal cancer, stomach cancer, parotid cancer, and skin cancer.
Who else can file for an SRS EEOICPA claim?
Those eligible for EEOICPA compensation and medical benefits include workers who became ill from exposure to radiation or other toxic substances during their employment at the Department of Energy, its contractor, or subcontractor facilities, as well as their survivors.
SRS has had several prime contractors; E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company from 1950 to 1989, and Westinghouse Savannah River Company/ Washington Savannah River Company, LLC from 1989 to 2007. Since 2008, the facility has been managed and operated by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC, a partnership between Fluor, Newport News Nuclear, and Honeywell. People who worked with Dupont prior to Westinghouse’s takeover as prime contractor on 4/1/1989, often worked for Bechtel (a subcontractor) instead of Westinghouse, the prime contractor.
DOL acknowledges that construction workers were exposed to asbestos until 12/31/1995. Our clients have been compensated for lung dysfunction claims for exposures before 1996. These include those who worked as maintenance or construction workers at a DOE site for at least 30 days before December 31, 1995 and were diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma of any bodily site 15 years or more after beginning such work. We have had some success with claims by security personnel who accompanied construction contractors as they worked. Asbestos exposure is associated with an increased risk of lung problems, asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer. Construction workers at DOE sites have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials and have reported increased asbestosis and pulmonary abnormalities.
SRS workers have been exposed to radiation through various hazardous working conditions and multiple incidents of accidental radiation leaks and exposure. EPA investigations at the SRS revealed contamination in groundwater, sediments, soils, sludge, solid waste, debris, and surface water. At least nine of sixteen high-level waste storage tanks have leaked into the surrounding area, contaminating soil and groundwater. According to the report, multiple buildings at SRS are contaminated with radioactive contaminants, including plutonium, tritium, and uranium. Also, in the earlier years, unreported accidental leakage of radioactive material occurred at the facility.
There have been some concerns that certain groups or subsets of SRS workers were intentionally exposed to hazards more often than others. For example, African-American SRS workers have filed claims against the SRS, contending that “they were exposed to radiation more often than their white counterparts and that they were intentionally placed into employment positions with more dangerous conditions than those of their coworkers”. If these allegations are confirmed in the actions of employers, different remedies may be provided for employees intentionally exposed to higher radiation levels.
Conclusion
Contact us for a free case evaluation if you worked at the SRS DOE facility and developed a work-related illness. Over the years, the levels of exposure to radiation and other chemical and physical hazards, accidents, and injuries at DOE facilities have reduced. The SRS Health Protection Organization monitors external radiation with film badges, thermoluminescent dosimeters, and thermoluminescent neutron dosimeters. Monitoring for internal radiation exposure is performed through routine urinalyses. Each employee also receives a periodic physical examination, which includes blood chemistry analysis, an electrocardiogram, and a chest X-ray. Subsequently, each employee receives a comprehensive report of the results of their physical examination and radiation exposure history. Employees at the facility also apply the recommended safety and protection from harmful exposures.
As a result, the number of current and former SRS employees getting EEOICPA compensation has also declined. If you want to file an EEOICPA claim, it is best to hire the services of an experienced EEOICPA claim attorney. You will not be charged attorney fees if your claim is not accepted. You only pay 2% of the compensation awarded if your claim is accepted without denial, and 10% for claims that were initially denied and later accepted.