Washington House Passes Protections For Sick Hanford Workers
Listen
The Washington state House has voted to give added protections to sick workers at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
In a 69 to 29 vote Thursday afternoon, the House approved a measure that says if a Hanford worker gets one of several diseases or conditions, it’s presumed to be work-related.
Democrat Gerry Pollet gave the example of Chronic Beryllium Disease.
“A transitory exposure to the beryllium dust can cause a disease that will kill you in 10 or 15 years after horrible debilitation,” he said.
Pollet credited KING TV’s ongoing coverage of sick workers at Hanford for bringing attention to this issue. The bill is designed to make it easier for any Hanford site worker who gets sick to collect workers’ compensation.
The measure now goes to the Washington state Senate.
Workers at Hanford are cleaning up 56 million gallons of radioactive sludge left over from making plutonium during World War II and the Cold War.
9(MDAyNTQ1NzQ1MDEyMjk0OTcxNTI4MzljZQ001))
Related Stories:
Programas Head Start reabren en el centro de Washington
Más de 400 niños de varias comunidades del centro de Washington regresaron a sus aulas tras la llegada de los fondos federales para los programas Early Head Start y Head Start de Inspire Development Centers.
One woman finds healing by caring for wild animals on the Palouse
Haku the pig, a resident at Palouse Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, draws lots of attention from visitors. (Credit: Ryan Law) Listen (Runtime 3:49) Read It’s dark inside this large red
Head Start programs reopen in Central Washington
More than 400 children in Central Washington are returning to their classrooms following the arrival of federal funds for Early Head Start and Head Start programs at Inspire Development Centers. The organization offers early childhood education programs to low-income children through various centers.
