DaytonDailyNews.com

DAYTON — Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt has approved a measure that will lower the hurdles for Cold War-era atomic workers at Miamisburg's Mound Plant seeking federal compensation and medical benefits for cancers that may have been caused by on-the-job radioactive exposures.

Leavitt's March 3 decision was made public Thursday, March 13.

"For the former Mound workers and their families, this ruling has been a long time coming," said U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. "It is good to see that the federal government has finally recognized what we've known all along the burden of proof is too great on these workers."

Brown said he "will continue to fight hard to ensure all of Ohio's Cold War heroes receive the benefits they deserve."

Barring congressional opposition, people who worked at Mound for at least 250 days from 1949 until early 1959 and suffer from any of 22 radiogenic cancers won't have to prove their illnesses were caused by toxic exposures in the workplace. Some survivors also are eligible for payments. The change is to take effect April 2.

The program's advisory board in January recommended the easing of the burden of proof after the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health said it couldn't provide reliable exposure doses for 1949-59 Mound workers who may have been exposed to airborne particles of radium, actinium and thorium.

The program, run by the Labor Department, has paid 184 of 866 qualified Mound applications, but to date has issued final denials in 424 of them, often because applicants couldn't meet the previous burden of proof.

Workers and survivors who were previously denied compensation will have their cases reopened by the Labor Department without any action by the applicants, said NIOSH spokeswoman Chris Ellison. Labor officials will notify applicants whose claims are approved.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2264 or

tbeyerlein@DaytonDailyNews.com.