Contact: Rob Ostrander 202.224.7627 Shana Stribling 202.224.0309
Tuesday, April 12, 2005

WASHINTON, DC - U.S. Senator Kit Bond today applauded the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for recommending faster payments for some Cold War-era Mallinckrodt workers. Bond also renewed his vows to continue the fight for those Mallinckrodt workers not yet eligible for the immediate compensation.

“Today’s action by HHS is long-awaited good news for these workers and their families,” said Bond. “These families can now receive the compensation they deserve and have been owed for too long.”

In February, a federal panel meeting in St. Louis announced that Mallinckrodt workers employed between 1942 and 1948 at the downtown site and who now suffer from one of 22 specific cancers should be eligible for immediate compensation of up to $150,000 from the federal government. The recommendation was dependent on approval by HHS. Today, Bond received official word from Michael Leavitt, HHS Secretary, that the Department has officially approved the recommendation for the former Mallinckrodt workers. This decision will become effective 30 days after it is submitted to Congress unless Congress acts to negate the Secretary’s action.

Later this month, after reviewing new information, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) board is expected to make a recommendation for Mallinckrodt workers employed between 1949 and 1956.

“Justice has been served for some of the Mallinckrodt workers, but the federal government cannot leave these other workers behind,” said Bond, who testified before the NIOSH advisory panel in February. “The evidence is clear and compelling and the need is there. Federal officials need to move fast to make further recommendations and provide help to these families.”

The St. Louis-based Mallinckrodt Chemical Company's nuclear production facilities employed about 3,500 people who were exposed to large doses of radiation. Unfortunately, until today’s announcement, none of these workers had been granted a special federal health designation from the federal government, called a Special Exposure Cohort (SEC), which would prevent the workers from going through the cumbersome process known as dose reconstruction in order to be eligible for immediate compensation.

According to federal officials, there are two requirements for creating an SEC. One, if it is not feasible to estimate accurately the radiation dose employees received, and two, if there is a reasonable likelihood that such a radiation dose endangered the health of members of this class.

Bond also praised the efforts of Mallinckrodt worker advocate, Denise Brock. “Without the selfless hard work of Denise Brock this would not have been possible,” said Bond.