disability resulting from such injury, and 2) medical treatment for such
injury’.
After a thorough study of all the factual and medical evidence
submitted in your case, it has been determined that your skin condition
was not caused by or aggravated by your working condition prior to
1966.
There were no radiation programs in existence until 1960 at the .
missile range; there were no known sourcesofradiation in your primary
environment since February 22, 1959 when you were employed at {the
army base} and your field work was administrative.
' Federal Employee's Compensation Act, 5 USC 8101, 8102 and 8103.
CASE NO. 42
Type of Injury: Stromal Herpetic Keratitis and eventual loss of sight in one
eye.
BEC’s Decision: Compensation Denied.
Date of Decision: 1970.
Claimant's Allegation: That her eye condition is causally related to radioactive
“spills” on two occasions during her employment.
Facts: Claimant worked as technical editor and clerk typist in a government
nuclear defense laboratory. Her desk and regular post-of-duty was in an
anteroom outside of the actual laboratory where radioactive materials were
handled. Records indicated that on November 13, 1961, 2 mg. Radium
equivalent of Thorium 228 was moved into the laboratory in question. During
experimental procedures on November 14, 1961, just before Iunchtime, a
laboratory worker spilled approximately two micro-curies of Thorium 228, in
solution, on the top of a stainless steel table. The spill was not discovered until
right after lunch and the laboratory was ordered to suspend all routine
operations. Monitors equipped with portable alpha survey meters were used to
monitor all personnel prior to leaving the building. Claimant underwent such a
check. She was not found to be contaminated with alpha particles. The
monitors found one case of skin contamination. The left hand reading of the
contaminated person was 250 c/m. All contamination was cleaned up promptly
and claimant was not involved in the spill or cleanup operation. The laboratory
resumed its regular work on December 19, 1961. A routine survey performed
on that day revealed no removable contamination and external radiation levels
of 0.03 mr/hr.
On or about January 23, 1962 evidence indicates that one of the laboratory
workers flushed a small quantity of “slurry” (wet waste) from a diamond
cutting saw without realizing the material was radioactive and the sink trap
became slightly contaminated. None of the slurry was spread about the
laboratory and because there was no distributed contamination the incident
was not treated as a “spill”. Unaware of the incident, the claimant entered the
laboratory to get her coatwhich was on a coat rack near the work area. The
next day the laboratory was closed and the sink was dismantled and cleaned
before the laboratory resumed work. A survey record dated January 25, 1962
showed insignificant removal contamination. Fixed Thorium 228 was indicated
in a hood containing the Thorium. Contact readings were 17 mr/hr. Readings
in the office portion of the laboratory was 0.02 mr/hr. No other injuries of any
kind were ever reported, even from persons much closer to the incidents than
claimant had been.
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