The Department of Energy (DOE) activities, including nuclear weapons research and production, environmental cleanup activities, and laboratory operations, have exposed its workers to specialized physical, chemical, and radiological hazards that are linked to severe chronic health problems. The US government provides compensation and medical benefits to workers determined to have a medical condition that is likely to have occurred from DOE exposures through the EEOICPA. In some cases, if an employee died from an occupational illness, the eligible survivors may qualify for financial compensation under the program. Stephens and Stephens LLP represent DOE employees and survivors who suffer from certain illnesses and cancers related to occupational exposures to claim compensation and medical benefits under the EEOICPA.
Major DOE occupational hazards
Epidemiological cohorts, such as the Comprehensive Epidemiology Data Resource (CEDR) and the Million Person Study, have tracked and documented the clinical health effects of DOE occupational hazards. These studies have confirmed the chronic health effects of such exposures to DOE workers.
Beryllium Exposure and Chronic Beryllium Disease (CBD)
Beryllium is a lightweight, high-strength metal widely used in nuclear components and defense technologies. It was widely used as a neutron reflector in nuclear weapons in DOE facilities. Inhaling invisible beryllium dust, fumes, or mists during machining or handling can trigger an irreversible immune response known as Beryllium Sensitization, which may progress to Chronic Beryllium Disease (CBD). CBD is a debilitating granulomatous lung disease resembling sarcoidosis and Beryllium Sensitization (BeS). CBD is an incurable, debilitating, and potentially fatal lung disease characterized by the formation of granulomas (scar tissue) in the lungs. This scarring severely restricts breathing and oxygen absorption. Individuals exposed to beryllium are also at an increased risk of developing lung cancer.
Among the 13,810 DOE employees tested between 1998 and 2010, about 189 (1.4%) workers had beryllium sensitization, and 30% of those were found to have CBD. According to this study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, the prevalence of BeS was highest among workers at Brookhaven National Laboratory, followed by the Kansas City Plant. Trades with increased risk of beryllium sensitization included boiler makers, roofers, and sheet metal workers. Genetic susceptibility mapping demonstrates that workers possessing the HLA-DPB1 glutamate-69 genetic marker are at a significantly higher risk of developing CBD upon exposure.
The DOE maintains the Chronic Beryllium Disease Prevention Program (10 CFR Part 850) and tracks exposed workers through the Beryllium-Associated Worker Registry (BAWR). Department of Energy workers, contractors, or subcontractors diagnosed with Chronic Beryllium Disease (CBD) can potentially receive up to $400,000 in lump-sum compensation, plus lifetime medical benefits for the illness.
Ionizing Radiation, Cancers and Radiogenic Diseases
DOE federal employees, contractors, and subcontractors are primarily exposed to ionizing radiation through nuclear weapons production, national laboratory research, and legacy environmental cleanup operations. Workers handling nuclear weapons waste, radioactive sludge, isotopes, or decommissioning old reactors are exposed to alpha, beta, and gamma radiation, as well as neutron-reflecting materials. Radiation damages cellular DNA, causing long-term malignant mutations. It can also induce non-malignant conditions like cataracts or tissue necrosis.
DOE workers are exposed to ionizing radiation through two primary mechanisms: internal and external, depending on their specific tasks. External radiation exposure occurs when a worker is in close proximity to an open or partially shielded radiation source, but the radioactive material does not enter their body. Workers at risk of external exposure include those who handle radionuclides such as plutonium, thorium, enriched uranium, or fission products for national security or research purposes. Researchers and technicians operating particle accelerators, X-ray machines, or experimental lasers may also be exposed to high levels of ionizing radiation. Others include personnel conducting safety inspections, monitoring radiation fields, or entering controlled storage vaults and waste tank farms.
Internal radiation exposure occurs when radioactive materials are accidentally inhaled, ingested, or absorbed into the body and continue to emit radiation from the inside. Airborne radionuclides such as radioactive radon, plutonium, or insoluble actinide dust or gases can be inhaled, increasing the risk of lung cancer. Workers who sustained internal deposition of plutonium or uranium isotopes are also at increased risk of developing solid tumors, including bone, liver, and thyroid carcinomas. Those involved in remediation or handling liquid nuclear waste or other radiological hazardous waste may be exposed to ionizing radiation during spills, tank maintenance, or waste sorting. Though rare, certain isotopes, such as tritiated water, can be absorbed directly through the skin or via open wounds.
Large-scale cohort studies of workers at major DOE facilities like Oak Ridge, Hanford, and Los Alamos link radiation exposure to cancers including leukemia, multiple myeloma, and Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Research also shows the strongest statistical correlations with high cumulative doses. In a recent study of over 100,000 United States nuclear workers exposed to an average of 26.5 millisieverts of external penetrating ionizing radiation, the researchers observed excess relative rates of solid cancer, including lung cancer. Workers first hired after 1960 had higher excess relative rates of solid cancer.
The DOE heavily regulates worker safety under Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 835 (10 CFR 835). The legal occupational limit for radiation exposure is 5 rems (50 mSv) per year. The DOE actively enforces ALARA (“As Low As Reasonably Achievable”) practices to keep individual doses well below this ceiling. DOE workers are required to wear specialized dosimeters monitored under the DOE Laboratory Accreditation Program (DOELAP) to track external exposure. Internal exposures are monitored through bioassays (such as urinalysis) and whole-body air-monitoring counters. These measures have significantly reduced radiation exposure among DOE workers. In a 2023 ORISE report analyzing radiation exposure among DOE employees, only 22 percent of monitored individuals received a measurable dose; of those, the average measurable dose was 1 percent of 5 rem (50 mSv).
NIOSH uses radiation exposure records for former and current workers who have developed chronic illnesses related to radiation exposure to determine if such illnesses are likely to have occurred from radiation exposure for purposes of compensation under the EEOICPA.
Asbestos exposure
Asbestos was widely used throughout nuclear weapons complexes for insulation, fireproofing, and structural materials, leading to widespread worker exposure. Workers who constructed and maintained reactors and specialized target systems were exposed to high levels of crystalline silica dust and asbestos insulation. As a result, these workers are at an increased risk of developing asbestosis, mesothelioma, COPD, silicosis, lung cancer, and pulmonary fibrosis.
Research has been extensively done on DOE employees’ exposure to asbestos. Earlier studies show that DOE construction workers experienced 43% more lung cancer deaths than the general American population. However, the risks are not limited to workers employed during the early years of the atomic weapons program but persist for workers first employed after 1980.
Asbestos-related illnesses are covered under Part E and may qualify for up to $250,000 in cash compensation (based on impairment and wage loss) plus 100% medical coverage for the covered illness. DOL presumes that workers were exposed to asbestos if they worked at a covered DOE facility on or before December 31, 1995, and fit into specific high-risk job categories. These include boilermakers, blacksmiths, welders, pipefitters, plumbers, steamfitters, insulators, carpenters, drywallers, painters, electricians, maintenance mechanics, demolition technicians, and heavy laborers. For a covered employee to be compensated for asbestos-related illness, he or she must prove that the asbestos exposure at the DOE facility was “at least as likely as not” a significant factor in causing, contributing to, or aggravating the condition.
Heavy Metals, Nephrotoxicity and Bone Disease
Occupational heavy metals exposure at DOE facilities primarily stems from historical nuclear weapons production, chemical processing, and ongoing remediation work. Historically, toxic metals were heavily utilized in refining nuclear fuel, manufacturing weapon components, and maintaining massive industrial complexes.
DOE employees involved in the processing or recycling of heavy radioactive elements like uranium and plutonium (transuranic elements) are at increased risk of heavy metal toxicity and internal radiological exposure. Workers exposed to soluble uranium are at increased risk of developing kidney failure (nephrotoxicity) and bone cancer. Soluble uranium behaves like other heavy metals (such as lead), directly poisoning the renal tubules, while inhaled insoluble particles settle in bone and lung tissues, irradiating nearby cells for decades.
Millions of pounds of elemental mercury were used, notably at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to separate lithium isotopes for thermonuclear weapons. Consequently, huge volumes of residual mercury remain trapped in facility equipment, building structures, and surrounding soils or riverbed sediments. Massive amounts of lead brick, lead blankets, and lead-lined pipes were deployed across all atomic facilities to protect workers from ionizing radiation. Currently, lead exposure commonly occurs during the decontamination, decommissioning, and dismantling of old structures, as well as torch-cutting structural components and handling legacy lead-based paints. Exposure to mercury and lead is associated with neurotoxicity, cognitive deficits, and chronic kidney disease resulting from mercury exposure (prominent in historical lithium isotope separation) and lead shielding fabrication.
Hexavalent Chromium (Cr-VI) is a highly toxic, reactive industrial byproduct and a known human carcinogen linked to cancers of the lung, nasal and sinus cancers, and gastrointestinal cancers. Chromium (Cr) and Hexavalent Chromium (VI) were used as corrosion inhibitors in water cooling towers for production reactors, such as at the Hanford Site and Savannah River Site. Electroplating and metal-finishing processes also generated highly toxic chromium-laden wastewater and sludges used to treat components. As a result, workers who handled nuclear cooling systems, metal-plating baths, or engaged in torch-cutting and welding at atomic sites were significantly exposed to these chemicals.
Thousands of tons of nickel powder were used to manufacture porous barriers for uranium enrichment at gaseous diffusion plants (K-25 at Oak Ridge, Paducah, Portsmouth, and SRS). Cadmium was used in nuclear reactor control rods because of its neutron-absorbing properties, as well as in legacy industrial battery storage. Both metals are classified as known human carcinogens linked to lung cancer. Cadmium is particularly linked to kidney damage, renal and prostate cancers. Exposure can occur through inhalation, ingestion, or skin absorption.
Toxic Chemical Solvents and Vapors
Large-scale manufacturing and parts degreasing across DOE sites historically utilized massive quantities of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), and benzene. Exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) such as trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), and carbon tetrachloride is linked to liver damage, kidney damage, and cancers. Historically, polychlorinated biphenyls were extensively used as cooling fluids in legacy electrical transformers and heavy machinery across DOE installations until they were banned in 1979.
Benzene exposure is linked to renal cell carcinoma, liver toxicity, bone marrow suppression, leukemia, aplastic anemia, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, central nervous system damage, and peripheral neuropathy. At major DOE facilities such as the Savannah River Site, Hanford Site, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, benzene was used in in-tank precipitation processes to separate high-level radioactive waste. Historically, the significant amounts of benzene byproduct generated in these radioactive waste storage tanks remain a major engineering and safety challenge. DOE national laboratory researchers still use benzene as a solvent for chemical extractions, analytical chemistry, and chromatography because it dissolves oils, resins, and waxes effectively. Benzene also occurs naturally in petroleum fuels, lubricants, and heavy degreasers used to maintain large-scale facility machinery and vehicles.
DOE benzene exposure illnesses are covered under Part E of the EEOICPA. For a covered employee to qualify for compensation, he or she must establish that it is “at least as likely as not” that exposure to a toxic substance at a DOE facility was a significant factor in causing, contributing to, or aggravating the diagnosed illness. Eligible workers can receive up to $250,000 in monetary compensation for cumulative wage loss and permanent impairment ratings, as well as comprehensive medical care for the accepted condition.
EEOICPA Compensation for radiation and chemical exposure
EEOICPA specifically covers illnesses resulting from radiation, beryllium, silica, and other chemical or toxic exposures sustained while working at covered nuclear weapons facilities. For a covered current or former DOE employee, contractor, or subcontractor to be compensated under the EEOICPA, it must be established that it is at least as likely as not that exposure to toxic substances at a DOE facility during covered employment was a significant factor in causing, contributing to, or aggravating the illness. Some cases, however, fall under certain presumptions in which illnesses are presumed to result from exposure to specific chemicals for certain job categories.
Filing an Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) claim can be a life-changing resource for sick nuclear weapons workers or survivors, but the process is notoriously complex. This is especially true when an employee is unsure what chemical he or she was exposed to or where a claimant needs to prove the exposures caused their illness. Hiring an EEOICPA lawyer can increase your chances of getting your claim approved quickly. If you intend to file an EEOICPA claim, you can contact our EEOICPA lawyer, Hugh Stephens, directly at 716-208-3525. He can also help if your claim was wrongfully denied.