KPLU Local News
(2010-06-03)
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Tom Peterson and wife Janet Peterson in their home in Richland. Peterson was diagnosed with chronic beryllium disease, which he believes came from his work at Hanford. Peterson welcomed the new report.
(AP Photo/Jackie Johnston)
Full story
Beryllium is bad stuff. It's a metal that can get into people's lungs and make them really sick. So sick, they can't breathe without a respirator. But an independent federal investigation found Hanford managers haven't been keeping track of beryllium very well. For example, they don't know how many buildings at Hanford could be contaminated. They don't know how people are getting exposed. And they haven't been taking care of those that are already sick. Dave Brockman is a top manager for the Department of Energy at Hanford. He admits there were gaps between the rules to protect workers and what was happening on the ground.
Dave Brockman: "As it turns out there were a number of things that were implemented once on this site that stopped being implemented. And we weren't aware of that."
In the crowd at the beryllium meeting were sick people ranging from nurses to construction workers. Most say they don't know exactly when or where they were exposed at Hanford. Many workers at Hanford refuse to get tested for beryllium sensitivity because they don't want to lose their jobs. I'm Anna King in Richland.
More Information
Tri City Herald "Report Urges Better Beryllium Protection at Hanford"© Copyright 2012, N3
