Am I eligible?

To be eligible for a free medical screening under the National Supplemental Screening Program (NSSP), you must be:

1. A former worker (DOE employee, contractor, or subcontractor) who worked at one of these facilities:

  • Argonne National Laboratory
  • Fermi Lab
  • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

2. A former worker who worked at one of these facilities:

  • Hanford
  • Kansas City Plant
  • Pinellas Plant
  • Rocky Flats Plant
  • Savannah River Site

3. A former worker not covered by a regional project. See sites listed under production workers and construction workers, below.

  • In addition to listed sites, the NSSP has also provided medical screening exams to formers workers from over 50 “miscellaneous sites,” among them Ashtabula, the West Valley Demonstration Project, Grand Junction Operations Office, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. If you have questions about eligibility based on your work site, please contact us.

4. A former worker who no longer lives in the vicinity of a regional project.

If you worked at one of the facilities listed below and still live local to the site, please contact the assigned regional project for that facility:

Visit the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Production Worker Screening Projects page for contact information for each of the following sites:

California:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Sandia National Laboratory (Livermore, CA)

Colorado:
Rocky Flats

Florida:
Pinellas

Idaho:
Argonne National Laboratory-West
Idaho National Laboratory

Illinois:
Argonne National Laboratory
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

Iowa:
Ames Laboratory
Iowa Army Ammunition Plant

Kentucky:
Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant

Missouri:
Kansas City Plant

Nevada:
Nevada Test Site

New Jersey:
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

New Mexico:
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Sandia National Laboratory (Albuquerque, NM)

New York:
Brookhaven National Laboratory

Ohio:
Fernald
Mound
Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant

South Carolina:
Savannah River

Tennessee:
Oak Ridge K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant
Oak Ridge Y-12 and X-10 (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

Texas:
Pantex

Washington:
Hanford

Visit the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Construction Worker Screening Projects page for contact information for each of the following sites:

Alaska:
Amchitka           

California:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Sandia National Laboratory (Livermore, CA)

Colorado:
Rocky Flats

Florida:
Pinellas

Idaho:
Argonne National Laboratory-West
Idaho National Laboratory

Illinois:
Argonne National Laboratory
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

Iowa:
Ames Laboratory
Iowa Army Ammunition Plant

Kentucky:
Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant

Missouri:
Kansas City Plant
Mallinckrodt Chemical Co.
Weldon Spring Plant

Nevada:
Nevada Test Site

New Jersey:
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

New Mexico:
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Sandia National Laboratory (Albuquerque, NM)

New York:
Brookhaven National Laboratory

Ohio:
Battelle Laboratories-King Avenue
Battelle Laboratories-West Jefferson
Brush Luckey Plant
Fernald
Mound
Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant

South Carolina:
Savannah River

Tennessee:
Oak Ridge K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant
Oak Ridge Y-12 and X-10 (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

Texas:
Pantex

Washington:
Hanford


You should consider enrolling for this free medical screening if you meet the eligibility criteria, particularly if you worked with one or more of the following substances:

Disclaimer: The information provided below is not intended to be a complete description of the potential health effects associated with each hazard.

Beryllium
Beryllium is a light, hard metal with excellent neutron moderator/reflector properties. It is used in alloys with aluminum and cooper. It also is used in the components of warhead triggers. If beryllium is inhaled, it can result in chronic beryllium disease, a lung condition with symptoms similar to many lung diseases: shortness of breath, cough, and in some cases, night sweats, fatigue, and weight loss.

Cadmium
Cadmium is a soft metal used in alloys, solders, platings, and coatings on components of warheads. It also is found in nickel-cadmium batteries. Cadmium, if absorbed into the body, usually by inhalation, can cause a number of health problems. The kidneys are most susceptible to damage, with protein being lost in the urine as an early finding and kidney failure as a possible outcome with high exposures.

Chromium (chromates)
Chromium is a hard steel-gray metal for hardening steel alloys. It is used extensively in the production of stainless steel and in corrosion-resistant coating/plating operations. Some forms of chromium can cause chronic dermatitis (rash).

Lead
Lead is a dense heavy metal used as a shield for radioactive substances. It is used as shielding around radioactive material, glove boxes, and radiation containment vessels. Excessive exposure can affect the blood and nervous system.

Mercury
"Quicksilver" is a silvery-white metal that is a liquid at normal atmospheric temperature and pressure. It is used in batteries, barometers, thermometers, and in the enrichment of lithium to lithium-6 for use in nuclear weapons. Mercury, if absorbed into the body, can affect the nervous system.

Nickel
Nickel is a silvery hard metal used in alloys where corrosion resistance is required. It is used in coatings/plating, and in electrical contacts. Nickel most commonly causes an allergic dermatitis (rash) that clears with avoidance of further exposure.

Vanadium
Vanadium is a grayish silvery metal, has good corrosion resistance to alkalis, acids, and salt water. Industrially, most vanadium produced is used as an additive to improve steel. Some forms of vanadium can cause respiratory symptoms if inhaled. These symptoms resolve with removal of exposure.

Zirconium
Zirconium is a grayish-white shiny metal. This metal is used in the nuclear industry for cladding fuel elements (uranium fuel rods for reactors). In rare instances, zirconium has been reported to cause lung disease similar to chronic beryllium disease.

Metal cutting oils/fluids
These are a variety of hydrocarbon-based oily materials used in machining to lubricate the tools and the parts being machined. These fluids, especially if allowed to become contaminated with bacteria or fungi, can cause dermatitis (rash). Typically the rash clears with removal from the offending agent and topical treatment.

Welding fumes
These are gases, smoke, and fumes that are released during the welding process. Welding is the process of joining two or more metals together using heat, sometimes with pressure at a high melting point induced by electricity or gaseous combustion. This does not include welding performed in a totally enclosed inert gas-filled environment, such as in a glove box. Welding may cause lung damage, depending on the materials being welded and the safety precautions used.

Epoxy resins
These substances are thermosetting resins or glues that are used as adhesives and surface coatings. Most commonly, epoxies can cause dermatitis (rash). Epoxies may also induce asthma. Exposure to some types of epoxies has been linked to an increase in the risk of bladder cancer.

Solvents, such as benzene
A solvent is a term that describes a substance (generally a liquid or gas) with the ability to dissolve another substance. Benzene itself is known to cause a form of leukemia (a blood cancer). Benzene and other similar solvents in sufficient dose can cause difficulty concentrating and decreased attention, especially in the short term.

Chlorinated solvents, such as carbon tetrachloride
These were used as degreasing agents, especially in machining processes to clean parts. Some examples are trichloroethylene (also known as “trike” or “TCE”) and methylene chloride. Besides acute effects on the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), these solvents can cause liver and kidney damage with overexposure.

Hydrazine
Hydrazine is a colorless corrosive material used in jet and rocket fuels. Hydrazine can cause severe skin irritation, convulsions, and death. It is known to cause damage to the lung, liver, and kidneys.

Methylene dianiline
Methylene dianiline is a curing agent mixed with a few specialized epoxy resins. The most common heath effect is dermatitis (rash) from acute exposure. Methylene dianiline is considered a probable carcinogen in humans.

Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a colorless, gaseous compound used in making epoxy and plastic resins. It also is used as a preservative and as a disinfectant. Formaldehyde may induce asthma and is also a skin sensitizer.

Ionizing radiation
Alpha or beta radiation is produced when charged particles are released from an atom or molecule. Internal intakes of plutonium may result in significant alpha radiation exposure. Uranium produces beta radiation. High doses of radiation are known to cause cancer.

Plutonium
Plutonium is a radioactive metal used as a reactor fuel. It also is used in the production of nuclear weapons, such as plutonium pits for triggers. Workers exposed to high intakes of plutonium such as from inhalation or wounds have an increased risk of developing certain types of cancer.

Tritium
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen used in the production of some nuclear weapons and in other nuclear devices. Radiation from tritium would be a concern in specific accident scenarios.

Uranium
Uranium is a radioactive metal used in the production of nuclear fuel and nuclear weapons. Depending on the form and dose of uranium exposure, the toxic effects to the kidneys may be of greater concern than the radiation.

Radioactive iodine
Radioactive iodine is a grayish-black corrosive element used as a radioactive tracer. High doses damage the thyroid gland, causing fatigue and other symptoms.

Ultraviolet radiation from the sun
There are invisible rays of radiation that come from the sun and can cause sunburn and other skin changes. Skin cancers may be caused by excessive sun exposure.

Asbestos
This is a fibrous material once used extensively in fireproofing, insulation, boilers, ductwork, pipes, welders’ gloves and blankets, and in brake linings. Lung cancers, especially in smokers exposed to asbestos, as well as other lung diseases, are a concern.

Diesel exhaust indoors
This refers to tailpipe exhaust from running any type of diesel engine in an indoor space. Some examples are running diesel machinery; running trucks or forklifts indoors. Diesel exhaust contains compounds that are carcinogenic and that may cause lung damage.

Silica
Respirable crystalline silica (silica dust) can become airborne during work, such as cutting, drilling, or grinding materials like stone, concrete, or sand. Lung diseases, such as lung cancer or silicosis, can result from exposure.