USDOE Human Subjects Research Database, Fiscal Year 2000

University of Iowa

Public Information Contact:

Ms. Kristina Venzke
222 IREH
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA 52242

Phone: 319-335-4109
Fax: 319-335-4290
E-mail: kristina-venzke@uiowa.edu

Institutional Review Board (IRB):

Human Subject Projects:

Number of Human Subjects projects reported: 1

UI-00-DE-FC03-00EH00025

"Burlington Atomic Energy Commision Plant Former Worker Survey "

Project Identifier: UI-00-DE-FC03-00EH00025

"Burlington Atomic Energy Commision Plant Former Worker Survey"

Principal Investigator: Dr. Laurence J. Fuortes, University of Iowa

Project started in: 2000

Project Funding Information:

Funding for Human Subjects Research:

DOE: EH/Office of Occupational Medicine & Medical Surveillance

$515,000.00 (Est.) for: Fiscal Year 2000

Information on Use of Human Subjects:

This project does not involve the use of multiple protocols/subprojects.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Review:
Type of Review: Full Board
Approving Institution: University of Iowa
Most recent approval: 10/05/00
IRB approval number: 200008081
Explanation of IRB approval:
latest date

Number of human subjects who participated in this project/protocol/subproject in the last reporting period: 0
Reporting period for number of human subjects: Fiscal Year 2000 (10/1/99-9/30/2000)

Type(s) of Human Subjects Involvement:

Use of personally identifiable data from questionnaires, surveys, or epidemiological studies:

• Using data collected from subjects specifically for this project.

(a. Objectives, b. Methodology, c. Ionizing Radiation, Radioactive Substances, or Chemical Substances to which human subjects are exposed, d. Involvement of Human Subjects [d.1. procedures used, d.2. risks if any])

The University of Iowa College of Public Health will conduct a Needs Assessment for a medical surveillance program for individuals formerly employed at the Middletown, Iowa, Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, (IAAP), who worked in atomic weapons manufacture on what was known as Line 1. The Line 1 operations consisted primarily of atomic weapons assembly and disassembly and was functional from 1945 through 1975. This site is somewhat unique among Department of Energy, DOE, sites in that the facility was historically shared with the Department of Defense, DOD, and much of the production work done on site involved high explosives formulations, manipulation and testing. In addition to fissionable or radioactive materials these workers may have been occupationally exposed to potentially hazardous levels of a number of other toxic substances, (explosives, solvents, epoxies, heavy metals and fibrogenic dusts).

The Needs Assessment will entail the identification, collection and interpretation of existing historical exposure assessment and medical surveillance data for the Line 1 work sites and employees. A focus group of workers and supervisors will be queried regarding job site and job title specific tasks and exposures as an essential step in the exposure assessment. These same workers will be queried regarding risk perceptions and concerns. Using the historic exposure records and focus group information we will develop exposure algorithms for work sites and job titles and develop recommendations for relevant risk communication and medical surveillance. We will collect and collate available employment, medical, and union membership and benefit records and link these to available secondary data sets such as Iowa death tapes, Iowa drivers' license and HCFA data tapes and in order to identify the scope and enable future location and contact of the Line 1 exposed cohort.