Workers exposed to radiation await compensation
Former employees of Blockson Chemical Co. are waiting on the decision of the secretary of the Department Health and Human Services to see if the process they go through to receive compensation from the company will be made easier. Blockson employees were among those handling material for nuclear weapons during World War II, and some have contracted cancer that they believe is due to exposure to toxic chemicals and materials. Right now, the guidelines for payment require workers to prove that their cancer was caused by radiation. The petition filed by employees would get rid of that requirement, instead requiring proof of one of several different types of cancer. The Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health recommended that the secretary approve the petition in July, and the chairman of the Board says that more workers will hopefully get compensation once the petition is approved.
See "Workers exposed to radiation await compensation", Gerry Smith, Chicago Tribune, August 2, 2010