This Program is funded by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to examine former workers for health problems that might be due to hazardous exposures they had while they worked at DOE sites. The program at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is one of 35 programs at DOE workplaces. This Program will focus on former workers with significant past exposure to one of the following agents or agent categories: - Asbestos
- Beryllium
- Lead
- Noise
- Radiation
These agents and agent categories were chosen based on an extensive evaluation of historical exposures at LANL, the nature and extent of documented and possible health impacts resulting from those exposures, the number of potentially impacted former workers, and worker concerns. The final choice of these five agents was also based on a medical determination of the availability of acceptable screening tests and interventions that will decrease severity, morbidity, and mortality of diseases that may result from exposure. As new information becomes available this list will be periodically re-evaluated. General Selection Criteria
All eligible workers formerly employed by: - University of California
- Zia
- Pan Am World Services
- Johnson Controls International
- Johnson Controls of Northern New Mexico
- other subcontractors
and who worked at LANL anytime since 1943. Eligibility is determined based on the likelihood that the work you performed resulted in a significant exposure to one or more of the agents listed in the previous question. The determination of a significant exposure will be based on work and exposure history information provided by former workers. Selection by Job Title
In the first year, individuals with the following job titles were invited to participate: - Machinists
- Plumbers or pipe fitters
- Metal workers
- Mechanics
- Janitors
- General laborers
Selection by Job Title and Exposure Questionnaire #1
Individuals with the job titles listed below will be invited to participate based on the results of a general exposure questionnaire [Exposure Questionnaire #1 (EQ1)] that will help determine the significance of their exposures. For example, mechanical technicians whose questionnaire responses indicate that they were exposed to asbestos will be considered for an invitation to receive a medical examination for conditions related to asbestos. Another example of former workers who will receive EQ1 are "staff members." These former workers may have had administrative jobs or worked on projects with significant exposures. - Chemical technicians
- Laboratory technicians
- Mechanical technicians
- General Technicians
To determine if you are eligible for this Program, please contact our New Mexico Program Office via our toll-free telephone number 1-877-500-8615. We will then send you the general exposure questionnaire. Based on your job title while at LANL, and your response to this questionnaire, we will decide if you will benefit from participating in this Program. The majority of exams will be offered to former workers who are eligible as determined by the Program. However, a limited number of exams will be provided to former workers who wish to receive an exam regardless of their eligibility status. You may also choose not to take part in the program. If you are eligible, you may choose one of the following two options: - Free medical exam
- Free medical exam through the DOE National Supplemental Screening Program (NSSP)
You may choose one of the following three locations for your free medical exam: - The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Former Worker Program Office, Española Medical Arts Building, 1010 Spruce Street, Suite B, Española, NM 87532
- Los Alamos National Laboratory Occupational Medicine Clinic, Los Alamos, NM (this option may be available in the future).
- DOE National Supplemental Screening Program (NSSP)
It is completely your choice as to which location you would like to have the exam. The examination procedures will be identical at all clinics. Depending on the location you choose, your exam will be performed by: - Española Office: Physicians from Johns Hopkins and the University of New Mexico
- LANL Occupational optional Medicine Clinic: Physicians and Health Professionals from Los Alamos National Laboratory Occupational Medicine Clinic (HRS-2).
- Physicians and Health Professionals from the National Supplemental Screening Program (NSSP).
No. Once you are eligible to receive an examination from the Program, you will complete a detailed exposure and medical history questionnaire [Exposure Questionnaire #2 (EQ2)]. The results of this questionnaire will be used to determine what type of exam you receive and your exam scheduling priority. For example, if your response to EQ2 indicates that you worked regularly around loud noise, your exam will include a hearing test. The exams will take about two hours. As mentioned in the previous question, the exams will include tests based on your exposure and medical history. The tests that might be done are: - Spirometry: breathing test
- Audiogram: hearing test
- Blood tests
- Chest X-ray
After your medical examination, you will receive your results in the mail within 10 to 12 weeks after the exam. The only individuals who will see your examination results are the occupational medicine physician who reviews these results and the program staff who mail the results to you. We will send you copies of your tests that you may share with your primary care provider (PCP). All results are private to the extent allowed by law. Your results will not be shared with anyone without your permission. Your name will never be used in published reports about this study. No study participant will be asked to provide us with classified information. You should not answer any questions that you feel uncomfortable with or have concerns about. If you think you may have classified information and you need to clarify this, please feel free to contact Los Alamos at The LANL Classifications Office, (505) 667-5011. You will receive a copy of your results with a letter telling you that all of your examination and test results are normal. You may take these results to your primary care provider. If you have any further questions or comments about the Program, we encourage you to contact us either by toll-free telephone at (877)-500-8615 or by email at lanlfws@jhsph.edu. You can also continue to access information about the Program through this website. Due to the current limits of our budget, we will not be able to provide you with follow-up examinations and tests. We do hope that as a part of our program, you will become more aware of the signs and symptoms of conditions that may result from your exposures, so that you may bring these symptoms to your healthcare provider’s attention if you experience them (SEE BELOW). Although the Program will not be able to provide follow-up examinations, we will retain a copy of your records (in addition to the copy mailed to you), which include all test and examination results. These records can be made available to your healthcare provider at any time if they are needed (SEE BELOW). You will receive a copy of all your test and examination results, and a letter explaining that these results were not all normal. The letter to your primary care provider (PCP) will include recommendations for additional testing if the abnormal results indicate that you may have a work-related disease. For any of your test results not within normal limits, you will need to follow up with a physician to receive additional testing. We recommend that you follow up on these results as soon as you receive them in the mail. If you do not have a PCP, the Former Worker Program can help refer you to one. In either case, the program will provide any necessary information and assistance. You may also be eligible for worker’s compensation. For help locating a Primary Care Provider, call the Española Program Office toll-free at (877) 500-8615. The DOE has funded the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the LANL Former Workers Program to offer participants in the original program a repeat asbestos and/or beryllium examination and testing. Beginning in March of 2006, re-examinations are available for those former workers who previously reported exposure to asbestos or beryllium. If you are a former worker who was exposed to asbestos and beryllium, you will receive an exam and testing for both agents. If you were exposed to asbestos, you will receive an exam and testing for asbestos. If you were exposed to beryllium, you will receive an exam and testing for beryllium. Any former worker who is interested in a re-examination for past asbestos or beryllium exposure should contact the New Mexico Program Office in Española. Former workers are asked to complete a short Exposure and Medical History Questionnaire #3 (EQ3) and to schedule an appointment for the re-examination at our next examination session in Espanola, NM. The contact numbers are: 1-877-500-8615 (toll-free) and 1-505-753-0193 (local). The re-examination will include the same components as the original examination. Former workers with past asbestos exposure will receive an examination, a breathing test, and a chest x-ray (one view). Former workers with past beryllium exposure will receive an examination, a beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT), and a chest x-ray (one view) if the physician determines that the chest x-ray is needed. If a former worker had exposure to both agents, all the components described above will be done but only one chest x-ray will be done. The chest x-ray will be sent for a B-reading. A B-reading is done by a certified physician who is looking for occupationally related lung disease. Former workers will receive results letters 10 to 12 weeks after their examination. A letter is included for the former worker’s Primary Care Provider that will include recommendations for further testing if needed. The LANL Former Workers Program will assist you in obtaining treatment and benefits by offering recommendations to you and to your health care provider. We will not provide that treatment or those benefits ourselves. In the fall of 2005, a new DOE medical screening program called the National Supplemental Screening Program (NSSP) was established to provide services to those former workers who do not live near a medical screening site. This includes workers from a facility that does not have an established Former Worker Program, as well as those former workers from a facility that does have a Former Worker Program but who no longer live near that facility. The NSSP also provides the option of receiving a medical screening from your own private physician. The options offered through the NSSP include the following: Medical Examinations Provided to Former Workers Who Do Not Live near the Testing Sites. Participants will complete an exposure and medical history questionnaire from the Former LANL Workers Medical Exam Program. We will advise the NSSP of the recommended testing that should be conducted. The former worker will then be contacted by the NSSP, and a medical screening will be scheduled at a participating clinic closest to the worker’s current address. The NSSP will review test results, and the test results will be sent to the former worker as well as to the Former LANL Workers Medical Exam Program (if the former worker has signed a medical release form to allow this). The test results will then be included in the medical results database. - Medical Examinations Provided to Former Workers Using Their Own Physicians. Former workers who would prefer to be screened through their personal physician may have a medical screening arranged by the NSSP. The Former LANL Workers Medical Exam Program will advise the NSSP of the recommended testing that should be conducted. The NSSP will review test results, and the test results will be sent to the former worker as well as to the Former LANL Workers Medical Exam Program (if the former worker has signed a medical release form to allow this). The test results will then be included in the medical results database.
Participating in our medical screening program will give you a chance to: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Former Worker Exam Program
New Mexico Program Office
Española Medical Arts Building
1010 Spruce Street, Suite B
Española, NM, 87532
Toll-free telephone (877) 500-8615
Email: lanlfws@jhsph.edu
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