The Benefits of Community Medical Monitoring at Nuclear Weapons Production Sites: Lessons From Fernald

August 2005
Citation:
35
ELR 10530
Issue
8
Author
Benjamin G. Gerhardstein and Phil Brown, Ph.D.

Editors' Summary: A number of communities across our country host DOE nuclear weapons production facilities. This Article argues that although DOE has known about contamination caused by these facilities for decades, the federal government has not sufficiently addressed these communities' health concerns. It uses the Fernald community in Ohio, the only community to succeed in holding DOE accountable for these actions, as a case study to argue that the U.S. Congress should establish community medical monitoring programs at DOE nuclear weapons sites.

Benjamin G. Gerhardstein is a Research Associate at the Environmental Law Institute. He holds a B.A from Brown University, where he graduated magna cum laude and with honors in 2003. Dr. Phil Brown is a Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies at Brown University. Mr. Gerhardstein and Dr. Brown conducted the research for this Article at Brown University. The authors gratefully acknowledge the extensive contributions of Dr. Susan M. Pinney, Associate Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Cincinnati, as well as Fernald Settlement Class members and Fernald Medical Monitoring Program staff who volunteered to be interviewed for this project. The authors further acknowledge the editorial support of Catherine Love and Sarah Wu.
Article File