Records: Information Available Through the Registry.

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On each autopsy case the Registry obtains a l l available information regard ing radiation exposures, working conditions, medical history, and associated pertinent data. For the living a n d a limited number of deceased occupationally exposed personnel at risk the Registry maintains a numerical tabulation. A1 though major contractors have provided a d d i - tional information on these personnel such as name, social security number, estimated deposition and date of birth, such records are not complete nor current for all. up-to-date would require considerable effort and expense on the part of the Registry and the participating agencies. reviewed t o ascertain how complete the records should be and what is the eipdemiological end point for the Registry if this is undertaken. Information is available from the Registry to facilitate obtaining the cause of death f o r nonautopsied personnel. and implementation of new ERDA-directed epidemiological studies, recommendations regarding the extent t o which the Registry participates in such studies need to be presented. To make this data totally inclusive and The program should be In view of modifications Identifying and maintaining contact with separated-retired employees who have declined to permit an autopsy if fully implemented and coordinated among the major contractors would become a major and extensive program, both from timely notification by contractors t o the maintaining of contacts t o conduct yearly follow-ups. The value a n d best agency t o conduct this type of epidemiological pursuit needs consideration. Family histories both on autopsied and nonautopsied cases are diff i - cult to obtain ; however, such efforts could be useful t o various epidemiological studies. Some efforts in this respect are already being made by others and perhaps such efforts should be directed o r supported by those programs. This effort should be reviewed. A review of the autopsy sample program has indicated that all samples being sent for laboratory analyses are not precisely identified nor being analyzed a t times contains flesh, solid-trabecular, a s well a s cancellous bone. Further, identifiable tracheobronchial lymph nodes are sometimes separated and sometimes included with the lung tissue. The Registry wishes to restrict the processing of all samples t o those handled by prosectors, such as those located in the Hanford area a n d a t Los Alamos. The purpose isto assure positive identification and meticulous preparation of the samples. In many instances i t has been noted that bone material Histopathological slides are not being obtained in the majority o f the autopsy samples. Recommendations are desired as t o whether ornot these

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slides should be obtained; i f so, o n what organs, who should interpret them and t o what type of analysis should the results be applied. Processing laboratories vary in their lowa n d freedom from contamination of samples. t o do the low-level radioanalyses, along w A proqram was considered earlier to provid The number of laboratories th their locations, needs a rate i employees with depositions greater than 10 nCi. This program has not progressed t o any significant magnitude, especially i n those who have not authorized an autopsy. pursued needs t o be reconsidered. The extent this program should be Reports from LASL indicate that the skull bone could contain sign if i - cant fractions of bone depositions. recommendations t o place greater emphasis on cooperating agencies t o obtain these samples. the separation of bone and marrow and microdosimetry of bone. These should be reviewed by the Committee to offer further guidance. The Registry i s considering Other bone studies are being pursued regarding Extrapolations of body burdens from autopsy samples proceed i n a number of ways dependent u p o n the best judgment o f the personnel from the participating agencies and the Registry. These variances need t o be explored and a standard method approached so that the results may be comparable both t o the U. S . cases and those being received from England o r elsewhere. Itis proposed thata subcommittee be established for the purpose o f standardizing these calculations. should be added to that subcommittee. A member of the USTR Urani um Depositions Several years ago recommendations were made by the Health Physics Society and others that a uranium registry be established. Suggestions included extending the scope of the Registry t o include such workers. This could be reasonably undertaken by the USTR. I t has been discussed with the sponsor of the USTR with the advice that this be referred to the Advisory Con it tee for guidance. The Registry has expanded its activities to include those o f Nuclear Regul atory Commission (NRC)1i censees and several 1icensee agencies are now participating with the Registry. progress can be made i f the N R C becomes an active sponsor of the Registry. It is felt that significant

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I n addition, Nuclear Energy Liability Property Insurance Association (NELPIA) has contacted the Registry stating that they would like to be identified as actively endorsing the activities of the Registry a s well as possibly lending financial support. Recommendations a r e desired as to the extent o f interaction that the Registry should enter into with both o f these agencies.