Radiation Sickness in East Tennessee

The defense and energy industries have created a lot of opportunity here in East Tennessee, but the industries come with their share of risks as well. The Department of Energy Plants in East Tennessee have left a legacy of environmental contamination that continues to affect current and former workers at the Y-12 National Security Complex, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Environmental Management Program actively cleaning up the former K-25 site and other locations in the area. If you have suffered any effects of radiation sickness as a result of your work at these facilities, you are entitled to free medical care, 66 and two-thirds percent of your average weekly wages, and other benefits from Workers’ Compensation.

The Lawyers of Brown & Roberto help injured workers claim all of the benefits they deserve under our state’s Workers’ Compensation laws. If you have been injured on the job or you think your illness may be radiation sickness caused by past exposure, contact with harmful substances such as beryllium or asbestos, or if you have developed cancer or blood disorders, we offer a free initial consultation to evaluate your case and answer your questions.

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge began operating in November 1943, as a part of the Manhattan Project to separate uranium-235 for Little Boy, the nuclear weapon that was dropped on Hiroshima at the end of World War II. The site was listed as an EPA Superfund site in the 1990s for groundwater and soil contamination. Today the plant is listed on the Department of Energy’s Cleanup Criteria/Decision Document Database for environmental restoration, decontamination and decommissioning.

The K-25 site was completed in 1945 and was the first diffusion facility for large scale separation of uranium-235. The site was used for the production of enriched uranium for nuclear weapons and later included the production of uranium compatible for reactors used to generate electrical power. The site is currently being dismantled and demolished by the United States Department of Energy; a contractor is managing the cleanup efforts. The cleanup of the former K25 facility is known as the Environmental Management Program or EM.

The X-10 site, or more commonly the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is a multi-program science and technology lab managed by another contractor for the United States Department of Energy. The facility is the DOE’s largest science and energy laboratory and pursues research in neutron science, energy, high performance computing, systems biology, materials science, and national security.

Workers present at any of these sites or those involved in the EM project at the former K-25 site may suffer, or may have suffered long-term health effects, such as cancer as a result of exposure to radiation, beryllium and a variety of other hazardous substances. Even if your illness was caused by exposure that occurred many years in the past, you may still be entitled to compensation for medical bills and other damages. State Workers’ Compensation benefits can cover current and former employees who suffer from occupational illnesses, as well as injuries that occur in a work setting.

Call (865) 691-2777 in Knoxville or East Tennessee to set up an initial consultation to discuss your Energy and Atomic Worker injuries, or contact us using the online form for more information about our practice.