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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

For Immediate Release                                        November 13, 2006

PITTSBURGH - 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.