Michalene Rodriguez
Michalene Rodriguez has dedicated more than two decades of her career at ORAU to radiation dose reconstruction, a specialized area that combines the expertise of health physics with the meticulous process of assessing human radiation exposure.
The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) of 2000 provides for compensation and coverage of medical expenses for energy employees (or eligible survivors if the employee is deceased) who may have developed cancer due to exposure to ionizing radiation while working at a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility as an employee, contractor or subcontractor. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Dose Reconstruction Project — which is managed by ORAU and a team of partners — covers an extensive network of 332 DOE sites and facilities. Within this vast landscape, Rodriguez is one of twelve health physicists/dose reconstructors from ORAU, who work together with other health physicists from our team of partners, tasked with performing radiation dose assessments of current and former energy employees who have submitted claims under EEOICPA.
The basic principle of dose reconstruction is to characterize the occupational radiation environment to which a worker was exposed, using available worker and/or workplace monitoring information. When a claim is filed by an energy employee or survivor, Rodriguez and the dose reconstruction team delves into a comprehensive database that chronicles the individual’s exposure history. This is complemented by site-specific, technical-basis documents that guide the dose reconstruction process for each location, ensuring a tailored and accurate assessment. The complexity and thorough nature of this effort underscores the importance of the team’s expertise and work in identifying and quantifying possible radiation exposures.
The dose reconstruction process is intricate, considering both internal and external sources of radiation in the individual’s exposure history provided by DOE. External doses stem from photon, electron and neutron radiation. Other external sources considered are environmental exposures and occupational medical exposures. Internal doses to a specific organ are calculated using urine samples or body count data, biokinetic modeling—which basically looks at how substances move through the body— and the Integrated Modules for Bioassay Analysis (IMBA) software. The IMBA software in particular can provide a comprehensive picture of how a substance is absorbed by the body, how it’s distributed to different organs and what effects it might have on them, how it’s broken down and how it is eventually removed from the body. Using these resources, the team can calculate the rate of internal radiation intake and its impact on specific organs through various means, including ingestion and inhalation. This comprehensive approach allows them to construct a technically defensible dose reconstruction that is crucial for evaluating the claim. In cases where monitoring records are not available, Michalene and the dose reconstruction team turn to site-specific, co-exposure or air monitoring data available for most DOE facilities.
The culmination of their work is the calculation of the probability of causation, a metric that determines whether the employee’s cancer is determined “at least as likely as not” to have been related to their employment. If the probability of causation is greater than 50%, then the claimant or their survivor may be entitled to compensation of $150,000 plus medical expenses. This standard of proof underscores the significance of the team’s findings in supporting the claims determination process under EEOICPA.
Michalene’s commitment to her role as a health physicist and dose reconstructor is a testament to the vital service these experts provide to energy employees and their families. Through these detailed assessments and reports, she not only contributes to a greater understanding of radiation’s impact but also helps those affected receive the recognition and compensation they deserve under EEOICPA. As Rodriguez and the dose reconstruction team continue their essential work, they embody the intersection of science and compassion, offering both clarity and closure to those impacted by navigating occupational radiation exposure.