Oak Ridge Today

New class of Y-12 employees being evaluated for worker compensation program

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Y-12 Aerial Photo June 2012

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge is pictured above in June 2012. (Photo courtesy NNSA)

 

A new class of employees at the Y-12 National Security Complex is being evaluated for possible inclusion in a worker compensation program that involves certain illnesses and work at sites affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy.

The class of employees being evaluated now would have worked at Y-12 between January 1, 1958, through December 31, 1976, and they would have had an aggregate total of at least 250 work days, according to a notice published in the Federal Register on Friday. The class could change, however, based upon the evaluation.

The decision to evaluate the petition for the Y-12 employees was announced by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

It’s not clear when the petition was filed, who filed it, or how long the evaluation might take. Oak Ridge Today has requested more information from the CDC. [Read more…]

Beryllium laboratory achieves accreditation from College of American Pathologists

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Beryllium Testing at ORISE

The College of American Pathologists, or CAP, has accredited the beryllium laboratory in Oak Ridge for the third time since the laboratory’s first accreditation in 2009. The laboratory is managed by ORAU for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.

The laboratory is one of only three labs nationwide that performs the beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test. This test determines if a patient has developed a sensitization to beryllium, which could evolve into chronic beryllium disease. Exposure to the lightweight metal is often encountered by inhaling beryllium dust particulates in an industrial workplace setting.

During the CAP accreditation process, inspectors examine the laboratory’s records and quality control procedures for the preceding two years. This includes examining staff qualifications, equipment, facilities, safety program and records, and overall management. The CAP accreditation program was established in the early 1960s and remains one of the most stringent lab certification programs recognized by the federal government. [Read more…]

Gehl named manager of ORAU-managed beryllium lab

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Ann Gehl

Ann Gehl

Oak Ridge Associated Universities has announced that Ann Gehl, who has nearly 30 years of medical technology and laboratory experience, has become the manager of the Beryllium Lymphocyte Proliferation Laboratory. ORAU manages the lab for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Gehl is replacing Linda Nichols, who has decided to step down from her role as lab manager after 12 years but will continue working in the lab as senior technologist and quality control specialist. Gehl joined ORAU in January 2014 and has been working with Nichols since then to transition work responsibilities.

“We are pleased to bring someone with the Ann’s caliber of experience to lead our staff and continue building upon our outstanding reputation as a high-quality DOE laboratory,” said Donna Cragle, vice president at ORAU. “At the same time, we also wish to thank Linda for her exceptional leadership over these many years and are excited that she will continue as a valued member of our lab team.”

Prior to joining ORAU, Gehl worked at the University of Tennessee Medical Center for more than 20 years, first as a medical technologist in the Transplant Laboratory and then as senior flow cytometry technologist in the Immunology Laboratory. In that role, she maintained and developed procedures used in processing blood samples to help identify biomarkers for lymphoma and leukemia. She also served as an instructor, teaching flow cytometry to students in UT’s Clinical Laboratory Scientist program. [Read more…]

ORAU-managed beryllium lab has zero test errors in 2013

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ORAU Beryllium Lab

ORAU-managed beryllium lab has zero test errors in 2013. Managed for DOE, lab personnel processed nearly 4,100 beryllium lymphocyte proliferation tests without a single error.
(Photo courtesy ORAU)

For the second time in recent years, the Beryllium Testing Laboratory managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities ended a year of testing without a single error, a press release said.

ORAU manages the Oak Ridge lab for the U.S. Department of Energy. The lab processed nearly 4,100 beryllium lymphocyte proliferation tests, or BeLPTs, in 2013, the press release said. The laboratory is one of only three in the United States that can perform the BeLPT.

The BeLPT is a blood test used to identify individuals at higher risk of developing Chronic Beryllium Disease, a chronic disease that scars the lungs, making it more difficult for oxygen to transfer into the bloodstream. The test examines how a lymphocyte, which is a type of disease-fighting blood cell in a person’s body, reacts to beryllium and can determine if an individual is developing an immune response to beryllium. [Read more…]

College of American Pathologists renews accreditation of beryllium laboratory managed by ORAU

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The College of American Pathologists, or CAP, has renewed its accreditation of the Beryllium Laboratory managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.

Located in Oak Ridge, the laboratory is one of only four in the United States certified to perform the beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test. This test helps to determine if a person has developed sensitization to beryllium, which could evolve into chronic beryllium disease also known in the past as berylliosis. Inquiries regarding the test and how to access lab services can be sent to [email protected]. [Read more…]