Feds will evaluate response to Hanford vapors issue

SPOKANE — Federal health officials will conduct a short-term evaluation related to the exposure of workers to chemical vapors on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

The probe by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is expected to focus on several areas including medical response, safety and health program management, and exposure control.

“Having an agency entirely separate from the Department of Energy conducting oversight into the safety of working conditions at Hanford is critical to protecting workers,” said U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who met recently with Hanford workers.

For decades, Hanford made plutonium for nuclear weapons. Much of the waste from that work is stored in 177 giant underground tanks that are the focus of cleanup efforts at the site near Richland. Clean up is expected to take decades and cost billions.

Hanford workers have long raised issues of chemical vapors associated with waste held in the underground tanks.

More than 50 workers in recent months have received medical evaluations for possible exposure to chemical vapors, after reporting suspicious odors. Most returned to work.

The federal institute has been working with Hanford officials on the vapors issue. The agency will review current policies and procedures for evaluating worker health concerns.