Worker and Public Health Activities Program
The aim of the Worker and Public Health Activities Program is to improve our understanding of the consequences of exposures to ionizing radiation and other hazardous materials to workers and to the public. One of the program's strategic objectives is to support studies related to current and past operations of DOE facilities that ascribe to the highest scientific standards and policies and to communicate the health effects into impact-driven practices for improving worker and public health. This objective strives to ensure that the studies and public health activities address the most relevant research pertaining to DOE operations and provide a framework for intervention. Periodic evaluation of the research via independent external peer review enhances this objective. DOE encourages publication in scientific peer-reviewed journals and presentations at scientific meetings.
The program promotes the health of the
Department's
workers and communities surrounding DOE sites
by supporting:
To date, information learned from these studies
have confirmed that DOE's present standards
and policies are protective of worker and public
health.
A primary objective of the program is to share
lessons learned and best practices to affected
workers, the DOE, and scientific communities
to ensure adequacy of worker safety and health
policy and to ensure appropriate protection
is validated. In the Worker and Public Health
Activities Program, sharing is accomplished
through an extensive communication network.
- Communication throughout the life of the
study to workers and managers. Communication
guidelines are set out in the Access
Handbook and the Communication Plan between DOE and the Department of
Health and Human Services.
- Completed and proposed studies are
communicated
through an Agenda
for HHS Public Health Activities at Department
of Energy Sites. The agenda provides background
and overview for each DOE site in which studies
have been conducted.
- Sharing information with other researchers
through DOE's public-use data repository.
We invite you to view the Comprehensive
Epidemiologic Data Resource's (CEDR)
large collection of data.
What We Support
The Worker and Public Health Activities Program
supports independent research in an open
environment
using the highest scientific standards and
practices.
The program endorses all DOE-related occupational
and community studies that:
- Address pertinent DOE occupational and
community health questions and provide a
framework for intervention.
- Solicit community, scientific, and stakeholder
input to identify areas for further evaluation
of health risks potentially associated with
exposures to DOE facilities and surrounding
communities.
- Communicate with workers and the public
and provide enhanced understanding of the
risks associated with radiation, chemicals,
and other hazardous materials.
- Recommend improved protective measures for
workers if scientific evidence indicates that
regulations or practices are inadequate.
- Share information with workers, the public,
and the scientific communities.
Major Accomplishments:
- Completed and communicated more than 200
studies over the DOE complex. These studies
have confirmed that past standards and policies
were protective of worker and public health.
- Completed a 2005 National Academy of Sciences
(NAS) review
of the 15-year Worker and Public Health
Activities Program.
- Conducted independent studies of over 600,000
DOE workers and published in peer-reviewed
scientific
journals.
- Completed eight historical dose
reconstructions
at DOE nuclear weapons plants.
- Completed environmental health assessments
at 90 percent of DOE's Superfund sites.
Program Manager: Marsha
Lawn
Related Documents & Links
This
page was last updated on
February 08, 2008
|
