Y-12 Plant
Location
1 Science Way
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Built in a rural section of East Tennessee, the Y-12 National Security Complex, previously known as the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant, was part of the Manhattan Project. Its job was to process uranium for the first atomic bomb. Construction of Y-12 started in February 1943; enriched uranium production started in November of the same year. Construction, however, was not entirely finished until 1945.The first site mission was the separation of uranium-235 from natural uranium by the electromagnetic separation process. The magnetic separators were taken out of commission at the end of 1946 when gaseous diffusion became the accepted process for enriching uranium.
Since World War II, the number of buildings at Y-12 has doubled. Its missions have included uranium enrichment, lithium enrichment, isotope separation and component fabrication. For more than 50 years, Y-12 has been one of the DOE weapons complex’s premier manufacturing facilities. Every weapon in the stockpile has some components manufactured at the Y-12 National Security Complex.
Throughout the course of its operations, the potential for beryllium exposure existed at this site, due to beryllium use, residual contamination, and decontamination activities.
Type of Facility
- Department of Energy
Covered by EEOICPA
- Part B and Part E
EEOICPA Covered Years
- August 13, 1942-Present
Contractors
- 2000-present BWXT
- 1994-2000 Lockheed Martin Energy Systems
- 1984-1994 Martin Marietta Energy Systems
- 1947-1984 Union Carbide & Carbon Corp.
- 1943-1947 Tennessee Eastman Corp. (TEC)
Contract Numbers
- W-7405-ENG-48
- W-7405-ENG-26
- W-7405-ENG-25
- USABRL-PRJ-NT12-7-T
- W-7405-ENG-26; SUB-7009
- W-7405-ENG-26; SUB-4269
- W-7405-ENG-26; SUB-4251
- W-7405-ENG-26-7118
- DE-ACOS-950R222000
- DE-ACOS-840R21400
- DE-AC05-00OR22800
- 200-93-2629 (HE#94-181
- AC05-22800
- AC05-96OR22464
- AC01-87EH79003
DOE
- Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource Analytic Data File Sets-Mortality and Morbidity Study of 5-rem Workers at 23 Department Of Energy (DOE) facilities
- Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource Analytic Data File Sets-Study of Childhood Leukemia and Paternal Radiation Exposure among Communities near Hanford Site, Idaho Site and Oak Ridge Site
- Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource Analytic Data File Sets-Case-Control Study of Respiratory Cancer at Uranium Facilities at Tennessee Eastman Corporation (TEC) and Y-12 facilities in Oak Ridge, Mallinckrodt Chemical Works (MCW) in St. Louis and Weldon Springs, Missouri, and the Feed Materials Production Center (FMPC) in Fernald, Ohio
- Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource Analytic Data File Sets-Mortality Study Among Female Nuclear Weapons Workers at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Zia Company, Rocky Flats, Hanford, Mound, Savannah River, Oak Ridge X-10, Y-12 and K-25, Fernald, Linde and Pantex
- Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource Analytic Data File Sets-Cohort Mortality Study of Chemical Laboratory Workers at Department of Energy Nuclear Plants
- Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource Analytic Data File Sets-Cohort Study of Workers at the Oak Ridge Site during War World II (WW II)
- Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource Analytic Data File Sets-Study of Unspecified and Unexplained Causes of Death of Workers at the Oak Ridge Facilities
- Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource Analytic Data File Sets-Welder Cohort Mortality Study, 1994 at Oak Ridge Site
- Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource Analytic Data File Sets-Oak Ridge Mortality Study, 1997
- Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource Analytic Data File Sets-Cohort Mortality Study of White Males Employed at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Facility
- Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource Analytic Data File Sets-Case-Control Study of Mercury Workers at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Facility
- Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource Analytic Data File Sets-Mortality Study of the Tennessee Eastman Corporation (TEC) Cohort at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Facility
- Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource Analytic Data File Sets-Case-Comparative Phosgene Study of the Tennessee Eastman Corporation (TEC) Cohort at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Facility
- Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource Analytic Data File Sets-Oak Ridge Y-12 Cohort Mortality Study, 1996
- Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource Working Data File Sets-Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Working Data File Set
- DOE Facility List by Name
- Flickr
- Glassdoor
- Website
DOL
- Tracking your DOL Claim Status
- Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health
- Ombudsman’s Office
- Resource Center
- DOL Case and Claim Statistics
- Site Exposure Matrix
- Approved Special Exposure Cohorts
- Bulletin 07-04: Processing Claims for a new Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) Class for covered employees in work locations within certain buildings at the Y-12 Plant, January 1948 through December 1957
- Bulletin 08-41: SEC Class for Y-12, March 1, 1943 to December 31, 1947
- Circular 12-02: Y-12 facility Special Exposure Cohort Class (SEC) from January 1, 1948 through December 31, 1957
- Circular 19-02: Y-12 Plant Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) Class from January 1, 1958 through December 31, 1976
- Circular 20-02: Y-12 Plant Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) Class between January 1, 1977 and July 31, 1979
NIOSH
- Tracking your NIOSH Case Status
- Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health
- NIOSH Case Statistics
- Special Exposure Cohort Status Table
- Petition 250: “All employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, and their contractors and subcontractors who worked at the Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, during the period between January 1, 1977, and July 31, 1979, 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 in the Special Exposure Cohort.”
- Petition 251: “All employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, and their contractors and subcontractors who worked at the Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, during the period January 1, 1958, through December 31, 1976, 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 in the Special Exposure Cohort.”
- Petition 018, 126, 028: “Department of Energy (DOE) employees or DOE contractor or subcontractor employees who worked in uranium enrichment operations or other radiological activities at the Y-12 facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, from March 1943 through December 1947 and who were employed for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, either solely under this employment or in combination with work days within the parameters (excluding aggregate work day requirements) established for other classes of employees included in the SEC.”
- Petition 028: “Department of Energy (DOE) employees or DOE contractor or subcontractor employees who were monitored or should have been monitored for: (1) thorium exposures while working in Building 9201-3, 9202, 9204-1, 9204-3, 9206, or 9212 at Y-12 for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days from January 1948 through December 1957 or in combination with work days within the parameters (excluding aggregate work day requirements) established for one or more classes of employees in the SEC; or (2) radionuclide exposures associated with cyclotron operations in Building 9201-2 at Y-12 for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days from January 1948 through December 1957 or in combination with work days within the parameters (excluding aggregate work day requirements) established for one or more classes of employees in the SEC.”
- Petition 098: “All employees of the Department of Energy (DOE), its predecessor agencies, and DOE contractors or subcontractors who worked at the Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee from March 1, 1943 through December 31, 1947 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 in the Special Exposure Cohort.”
- Petition 186: “All employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, and their contractors and subcontractors who worked at the Y -12 facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, during the period from January 1, 1948 through December 31, 1957, 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 in the Special Exposure Cohort.”
- Work Site Information
Other Resources
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