Savannah River Site Health Effects Subcommittee (SRSHES) Meeting

Final Meeting Minutes
June 06, 2002

Back to Table of Contents

Action Items

• The DFO to contact Dr. Mildred McClain and gather comments on the SRSHES brochure provided to her from both former and current members.
  
  
• The DFO to collaborate with Ms. Kim Newell, of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), in identifying staff to provide technical expertise to the Epidemiologic Data Workgroup. Ms. Newell to also serve on the workgroup.
  
  
• The DFO to distribute CD-ROM versions of the Phase I and Phase II SRS dose reconstruction reports to new SRSHES members. Hard copies of the documents to be displayed at future meetings for members to reference during meetings.
  
  
• The DFO to provide SRSHES with two-sided copies of meeting materials whenever possible.
  
  
• The Agenda Workgroup to identify agenda items that were previously recommended and report outstanding issues to SRSHES.

Agenda Items

• Presentation on all aspects of the SRS monitoring program, i.e., exposure evaluation of contractors, full-time workers, hunters with dogs, and migrant workers, as well as sampling activities for animals.
  
  
• Anecdotal reports of the SRS monitoring program. [Dr. Ken Crase of SRS and the Memphis Tennessean to be considered as anecdotal data sources.]
  
  
• Presentations scheduled for the June 2002 meeting, but not made: overview of the FACA Charter by CDC and the health consultation on potential tritium exposures at SRS by ATSDR.
  
  
• Review of NIOSH protocols and procedures for individual dose reconstruction of OICP claimants and personal experiences by approved and rejected claimants.

Consensus Recommendations

• SRSHES recommends that the Community Summary of the Phase II SRS dose reconstruction project be accepted as amended and the modified version be distributed by CDC.
  
  
• SRSHES recommends that two members serve on ACPM advisory committees: Dr. Crawford on the Technical Advisory Committee and Ms. Kato on the Educational Advisory Committee.

Several follow-up comments were made in response to the new action and agenda items. Ms. Jane Perry, of the Georgia Division of Public Health, will determine whether this agency can also provide technical expertise to the Epidemiologic Data Workgroup. She committed to asking if the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is willing to present its comprehensive sampling plan of SRS at a future meeting. Dr. Whitcomb pointed out that the Phase II dose reconstruction report contains comparative data of monitoring activities completed by DHEC and DNR as well as anecdotal data from retired SRS workers. This information was also presented to SRSHES at a previous meeting.

Mr. Devitt emphasized the need for the members to recommend action and agenda items that are within the purview of the SRSHES charter. Dr. Whitcomb agreed with this observation and pointed out that NCEH’s request for the Scenario Workgroup to provide input on screening values should serve as a priority for SRSHES. The members generally agreed to individually access the ACPM web site to review presentations on I-131 relative to historical releases at DOE sites worldwide, exposures and radiation health effects. No action was taken on the request for a potassium iodide presentation since the drug is not relevant to historical releases of I-131 at SRS.