The Kristen Renee Foundation has launched a campaign to research and investigate the findings associated with Fort Detrick Area B Groundwater. In April 2009 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added Fort Detrick Area B Groundwater to the National Priority List (NPL) based on tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) detections in offsite drinking wells. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) which confirmed residential areas located next to Fort Detrick had traces of these chemicals and were highly contaminated for years. Area B was initially established as a proving ground for the Army’s biological weapons program (circa 1946; test grid area). Area B was also used for buried disposal of a number of contaminants including biological materials, test animal carcasses, radiological tracer materials, phosgene cylinders, and drums containing organic solvents (TCE, PCE, etc.; http://www.epa.gov/reg3hscd/npl/MD985397249.htm).

Kristen Renee passed away two years ago from a brain tumor, now a mere two years later her mother is battling stage four cancer, their home was in Frederick, Maryland, near Fort Detrick. There have been many before their family and there are many currently in the area battling with similar situations. Many found with recent diagnosis are just 30-35 years old. Most are battling or have fought a form of lymphoma and many other cancers. Their addresses were all within 6 miles of each other, all surrounding Fort Detrick.

On July 10th, 2010 The Kristen Renee Foundation, past and present residents of Frederick, Maryland will assemble for a Town Hall meeting to discuss the EPA findings, research, and try to stop this from happening to future generations in and around Fredrick, Maryland. This town meeting is a time to come together and ask the right questions and get the answers that could potentially save you and your family. Many of you or your neighbors may have had to fight these horrible battles. Please join Kristen Renee’s Family and the Kristen Renee Foundation on Saturday, July 10th at 4:00PM in Frederick, Maryland. For more information about the town hall meeting please visit www.fightingforfrederick.org.

About Kristen Renee Foundation
The Kristen Renee Foundation is an endowment devoted to financing the research and cure for brain cancer in memory of Kristen Renee White. Kristen died at the age of 30 on April 30, 2008 after a long difficult battle with brain cancer. Kristen was a beloved mother, daughter, sister, wife, and friend. Through this foundation the family and friends of Kristen carry on the battle against brain cancer in hopes of one day a cure will be discovered.

About Fort Detrick
Fort Detrick is an active U.S. Army installation operated under the Army Medical Command (MEDCOM). Fort Detrick includes six non-contiguous land parcels (designated as Areas A, B, Area C Water Treatment Plant, Area C Waste Water Treatment Plant, Forest Glen Annex, and Glen Haven Annex). Areas A, B, and C, are located within the city limits of Frederick, Maryland. Area B is approximately 399 acres and includes the Fort Detrick active municipal landfill, an animal farm (for research purposes), a former shooting range, waste disposal areas, an explosives storage area, and open fields used for historic research activities

For more information please contact ARL Marketing & Public Relations, Inc at 954-323-6787 or via email at: andrew@arlmarketing.com for media coverage, press kits and live interview requests.

ARL Marketing | Public Relations is a firm that develops and executes programs that help company’s achieve their sales and marketing objectives. We offer a broad range of services to our clients that include marketing/public relations, branding, special event planning & management, sponsorship/fundraising, business development, and media relations. Our firm has a client base that expands all over the country.

Senator Orrin Hatch introduced the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (“RECA”) 21 years ago. Congress passed the act to award compensation to people who have suffered illness as a result of radiation exposure caused by uranium mining and government nuclear tests.

While it opened the door to recourse for many, RECA left some individuals who were adversely affected by radiation exposure without a remedy. To be eligible for compensation an individual must have particular medical conditions and must have been in certain geographic locations for a specific amount of time; however, many people have suffered harm as the result of radiation exposure who did not meet all of the requirements.

After years of the combined efforts of many, including people who worked in the uranium mines after 1971 (“Post ’71 workers”) and the attorneys at Killian & Davis, P.C., Congress is now considering amendments to expand RECA protections. Notably, these amendments would expand the qualification criteria for compensation, revise the ways that individuals can demonstrate qualification, increase some compensation levels and facilitate research.

Expansion of Qualification Criteria

Under RECA in its current state, miners, millers and haulers may qualify for compensation if they were employed up to 1971, when the United States quit purchasing domestic uranium. Post ’71 workers are not eligible for compensation, even though implementation and enforcement of adequate protections after 1971 was slow and many workers were not made aware of the workplace dangers. Recent surveys indicate that:
- The majority of uranium workers did not have showers or wash areas available to them
- Uranium workers took their contaminated clothes home with them
- There was inadequate or improper ventilation in many uranium mines and processing facilities, unnecessarily increasing exposure and risks

The amendments would expand eligibility, so that workers employed between 1971 and 1990 can make claims for exposure-related diseases. Additionally, employees will be able to combine work experience to qualify to make a claim. An employee that worked in two different positions that both qualify under RECA can combine the number of years worked in both positions for qualification purposes.

The proposed amendments would increase the pool of qualifying workers by acknowledging core drillers as well. It would also expand the qualifying conditions. For example, miners could be compensated for kidney disease; currently, only millers and transporters are eligible for compensation upon developing kidney disease.

Additionally, the amendments would recognize the Trinity Test Site in New Mexico and tests in the Pacific Ocean. The geographical areas that qualify based on downwind exposure would be expanded to include:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Idaho
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- Utah
- Territory of Guam

Amendment to Qualification Verification

The proposed amendments would allow those seeking compensation to use affidavits to substantiate employment and residence histories. This will make the verification process significantly easier for qualifying workers and residents. Employers may have kept poor or incomplete employment records and cities may not have recorded residence, birth and marriage information regularly. The use of affidavits will ease the burden on those seeking to prove presence in an affected area.

Increase in Compensation Levels and Benefits

The proposed amendments raise the compensation levels for some affected persons; across the board, claimants would be eligible for $150,000 compensation, regardless of whether they worked in a mill, mine, as a transporter or facility, or suffered downwind exposure. Also, all claimants would be eligible for medical benefits.

Facilitation of Research

In addition to expanding coverage for those who have suffered harm, the amendment would offer funding for further research on the effects of uranium development on communities and families of uranium workers. The bill provides the National Institute of Environmental Health Scientists with funding for five years of research, to be allocated to universities and non-profit organizations.

In its original form, RECA provided compensation for many affected by uranium exposure. The people who would be protected under the proposed expansion of RECA have also suffered as a result of the Cold War and post-Cold War uranium mining.

Former mine workers or anyone with questions regarding the proposed RECA amendments should contact an attorney from Killian & Davis, P.C. The firm works extensively with those affected by uranium exposure and can provide knowledgeable counsel whether members of a community have a claim under RECA or the proposed amendments to it.

Article provided by Killian & Davis PC
Visit us at www.killianlaw.com

Two people are dead and several injured as a result of the Middletown power plant explosion, likely caused by a natural gas leak. The blast was so powerful that thousands of Middletown residents felt the explosion or heard the thunderous ‘boom’. It is possible that casualties will rise as the investigation continues and the site is cleaned.

Unfortunately, industrial accidents are all too common, and many workers and innocent bystanders are injured or killed when they occur. Sometimes explosions are caused by human error, faulty machinery or infrastructure failures, but some appear to have to have no readily ascertained cause. Whatever the cause, people who are injured in industrial accidents and families of those who are killed may have recourse through workers’ compensation benefits and by bringing civil lawsuits.

What Injuries and Damage Occurred?

In this case, a wide range of injuries were sustained by workers, including severe burns, broken bones, lacerations, back/neck trauma and internal damage. The affected workers might be able to seek workers’ compensation benefits from and/or bring personal injury claims against the owner of the power plant, Kleen Energy Systems LLC.

The families of those who died in the Middletown power plant explosion might be eligible to bring civil claims for the wrongful death of their loved ones. Wrongful death lawsuits are not just about punitive damages, but are meant to help the family with the costs associated with a death, including lost future wages, funeral expenses, loss of companionship and medical bills.

Additionally, it appears that some of the homes in the area of the Middletown power plant explosion may have suffered structural damage because of the vibrations. Windows can be blown out by an explosion of that magnitude, walls may crack, joints can loosen and foundations could be compromised – home and business owners, or their insurance companies, could seek reimbursement of repair-related expenses.

What Can Be Done?

Clearly a lawsuit is not the first thing that comes to most people’s minds when tragedy strikes, but medical expenses and other costs can add up quickly. Workers who have little or no health insurance are especially likely to find themselves in thousands of dollars of debt for medical treatment, and civil litigation is sometimes the only way for people to protect themselves in severe accidents like this one. If you or a loved one has been affected by an on-the-job accident, seeking the advice of a skilled personal injury attorney in your area as soon as possible is an important step toward protecting your rights.

Article provided by Williams, Walsh, and O’Connor, LLC
Visit us at www.williamswalshandoconnor.com/