The Associated Press

Piketon- Some workers at a uranium-enrichment plant here said they were unsure how to respond to a federal investigation of radiation exposure after their bosses told them to keep their mouths shut.

Wednesday, January 12, 2000

Piketon- Some workers at a uranium-enrichment plant here said they were unsure how to respond to a federal investigation of radiation exposure after their bosses told them to keep their mouths shut.

Dan Minter, president of the Paper-Allied Chemical and Energy Workers union, said about 150 workers attending meetings last week were told by Bechtel Jacobs officials to look busy and keep quiet while Department of Energy investigators were there.

Bechtel Jacobs called more meetings Friday to assure employees that they should cooperate with the investigation, and company officials told The Columbus Dispatch on Tuesday that the earlier comments were misinterpreted.

The company is cleaning up contamination at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant.

Energy Department investigators are looking into whether Cold War-era plant conditions endangered workers and if cleanup efforts are being run safely. Department officials hope to interview nearly 200 current or former employees.

The investigation will help determine whether workers exposed to radioactive contaminants such as plutonium and highly toxic chemicals such as hydrofluoric acid will be compensated for any cancers or other diseases.

Minter said employees were told to discuss with investigators only matters they could document or of which they had firsthand knowledge.

Joseph Nemec, Bechtel Jacobs’ president, acknowledged the concerns raised by Energy Department officials and Piketon workers, but denied any attempt to obstruct the investigation.