Labor Demands Better Protection for Workers From Vapors

RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) — Labor unions for workers on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation are demanding better ways to protect employees from chemical vapors.

The Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council on Monday issued a list of demands to the U.S. Department of Energy and its tank farm contractor, Washington River Protection Solutions. The council is an umbrella group for 15 unions with members doing Hanford work.

The Tri-City Herald reports that chemical vapors at Hanford have been an issue for at least 20 years. But workers continue to experience adverse health effects.

In recent months about 52 workers have received medical checks for possible exposure to chemical vapors at or near the Hanford tank farms.

Hanford has 177 underground tanks that hold waste from the past production of plutonium for the nation's nuclear weapons program.