Westinghouse Electric Company Information

Westinghouse Electric, located in Bloomfield, NJ, was one of the large commercial contributors to Manhattan Project research. Specific tasks related to uranium metal production and enrichment. Because developing the technology to produce pure uranium metal became a priority for the Manhattan Project, universities, and private companies with experience in related chemical processes participated in the task. From 1942-1943, Westinghouse used a photochemical process for metallic uranium and supplied metallic uranium for the first self-sustaining chain reaction in Chicago. In addition to contributing to uranium metal production, Westinghouse Electric participated in activities related to uranium enrichment.

Westinghouse also worked with thorium under contract W-7409-ENG-31 for the Manhattan Project at this location. In the periods February through May of 1958 and again in June of 1959 Westinghouse performed rollings of uranium tubes on the Assel Mill to evaluate whether this process could be used to create a product suitable for machining into a hollow fuel core for use in a nuclear reactor.

During the period of residual contamination, as designated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and as noted in the dates above, employees of subsequent owners and operators of this facility are also covered under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act.

Alternative Names

• North American Phillips Lighting
• Westinghouse Electric Company Lamp Divisions

Type of Facility

• Atomic Weapons Employer

Covered by EEOICPA

• Part B

EEOICPA Covered Years

• 1942-1949 (AWE)
• February-May 1958 (AWE)
• June 1959 (AWE)
• 1950-March 1, 2011 (residual radiation)

Contract Numbers

• W-7409-ENG-31

Did work for:

• Metallurgical Laboratory

DOE

• DOE Facility List by Name
• FUSRAP Considered Site

DOL

• Tracking your DOL Claim Status
• Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health
• Ombudsman’s Office
• Resource Center
• DOL Case and Claim Statistics
• Approved Special Exposure Cohorts
• Bulletin 10-14: Westinghouse Electric Corp. SEC Class for the period August 13, 1942 through December 31, 1949
• Circular 15-10: Westinghouse Electric Corp. Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) from February 1, 1958 through May 31, 1958 or from June 1, 1959 through June 30, 1959

NIOSH

• FAQs About Your Case
• Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health
• AWE Site Wide Documents
• NIOSH Case Statistics
• Special Exposure Cohort Status Table
  • Petition 159: “All Atomic Weapons Employer employees who worked at Westinghouse Electric Corp., Bloomfield, New Jersey, from August 13, 1942 through December 31, 1949, for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, occurring either solely under this employment, or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees included in the Special Exposure Cohort.”
  • Petition 217: “All Atomic Weapons Employees who worked at the facility owned by Westinghouse Electric Corp., in Bloomfield, New Jersey, during the period from February 1, 1958, through May 31, 1958, or during the period from June 1, 1959, through June 30, 1959, for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, occurring either solely under this employment, or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees included in the Special Exposure Cohort”
• Work Site Information

Other Resources

• Waste Lands-America’s Forgotten Nuclear Legacy Database