Inequalities in the Nuclear Age: Impact of Race and Gender on Radiation Exposure at the Savannah River Site (1951–1999)

Details

• Personal Author:
  Angelon-Gaetz KA ; Richardson DB ; Wing S
• Description:
  Changes in the workforce during the civil rights movement may have impacted occupational exposures in the United States. We examined Savannah River Site (SRS) employee records (1951-1999) for changes in radiation doses and monitoring practices, by race and sex. Segregation of jobs by race and sex diminished but remained pronounced in recent years. Female workers were less likely than males to be monitored for occupational radiation exposure [odds of being unmonitored = 3.11; 95% CI: (2.79, 3.47)] even after controlling for job and decade of employment. Black workers were more likely than non-black workers to have a detectable radiation dose [OR = 1.36 (95% CI: 1.28, 1.43)]. Female workers have incomplete dose histories that would hinder compensation for illnesses related to occupational exposures. The persistence of job segregation and excess radiation exposures of black workers shows the need for further action to address disparities in occupational opportunities and hazardous exposures in the U.S. South. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Race Factors Safety Sex Characteristics
• Keywords:
  Gender Factors Nuclear Hazards Occupational Health Disparities Racial Factors Radiation Exposure Radiation Monitoring Sex Factors
• ISSN:
  1048-2911
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  North Carolina ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  195-210
• Volume:
  20
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054114
• Citation:
  New Solut 2010 Aug; 20(2):195-210
• Contact Point Address:
  Kim A. Angelon-Gaetz, Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, McGavarn-Greenberg Hall, CB# 7435, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
• Email:
  Kangelon@email.unc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• Performing Organization:
  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7a4c9b0e4a8969a1cc5efe0ff4442a0041c2b37ece38abcfda777117ca5955d559e4612f4769a971339c0dff148a35067e6990bd80b96767ba643cf312ab7649
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216748/cdc_216748_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 434.75 KB ]