General Steel Industries
Also Known As: Old Betatron Building, General Steel Castings, General Steel Industries, Granite City Steel, National Steel Company
State: Illinois
Location: Granite City
Time Period: AWE October 1952-1966; Residual Radiation 1967-1992; DOE 1993 (remediation)
Facility Type: Atomic Weapons Employer, Department of Energy
Facility Description
From October 1952 through 1966, General Steel Castings/Industries performed quality control work for the AEC. Specifically, it x-rayed uranium ingots and betatron slices to detect metallurgical flaws for Mallinckrodt Chemical Company. This work was performed in a facility located at 1417 State Street, which was part of what was later known as the “South Plant” of Granite City Steel. This listing is intended to cover only the South Plant, identified by the State Street address, and not any other facility that may have been owned by Granite City Steel prior to or after its purchase of the General Steel Industries facility in the early 1970s. For example, this listing does not cover Granite City Steel facilities on Madison or 20th Street.
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.
Listing
General Steel Industries is listed as an Atomic Weapons Employer (AWE) site and as a Department of Energy (DOE) site under the EEOICPA.
Compensation
As of 03/15/2015, the total compensation paid under Parts B and E of the EEOICPA, including medical compensation, for workers suffering from the effects of having worked at General Steel Industries is $11,754,276.
General Steel Industries Workers
If you or your parent worked at this or any other AWE facility and became ill, you may be entitled to compensation of up to $4000K plus medical benefits from the US Department of Labor. Call EEOICPA Counsel Hugh Stephens at 1-855-EEOICPA (336-4272) or fill out the form to the right, whether or not you have already filed a claim and even if your claim has been accepted or denied.
We can help with all OWCP (Federal Workers Compensation) claims, impairments, wage loss and health care. 2495 Main Street, Suite 442 Buffalo, NY 14214.
Site Description and History
The Granite City, Illinois, Site (formerly the Granite City Steel site) is located at 1417 State Street, approximately 10 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. The site consists of the Betatron Building, a two-story concrete and metal building.
From 1958 to 1966, General Steel Castings Corporation, under purchase orders from Mallinckrodt Chemical Works, X-rayed uranium ingots in the Betatron Building to detect metallurgical flaws in the uranium metal. This work was performed for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), a predecessor agency of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). At completion of the AEC activities, the site was remediated to comply with radiological protection standards in effect at the time.
In 1989, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) conducted radiological surveys at the Granite City site to determine current radiological conditions in and around the Betatron Building. Survey results indicated that AEC-related activities had resulted in uranium concentrations that exceeded DOE guidelines on and near an industrial vacuum cleaner and on a few localized spots on the ground-level floor.
In 1991, ORNL surveyed a second betatron building (referred to as the New Betatron Building) because information indicated that it, too, may have been used to examine uranium ingots. However, survey results showed no contamination.
On the basis of contamination identified in the 1989 surveys, DOE designated the Granite City site for remedial action under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) in 1992 and recommended an expedited remediation because the radioactive contamination was limited to small amounts in the interior of the Betatron Building.
Decontamination included packaging the industrial vacuum cleaner and its contents in a 55-gallon galvanized steel drum. The 107-square-foot contaminated area of the floor was decontaminated by vacuuming, washing with a light abrasive mixture, and where necessary, scabbling, which is a more aggressive technique that involves removing the top surface of the concrete. In addition, the ventilation duct was removed and compacted for waste disposal. Asphalt and soil were also removed for disposal at two floor locations along the railroad track. Cleanup was completed in June 1993.
After post-remedial action surveys verified that the site was remediated to levels below DOE guidelines, the waste was shipped to a licensed disposal facility in Clive, Utah, for permanent disposal.
DOCUMENTS
NIOSH SEC Petition Evaluation Report
Petition 105 (Jan 1, 1953 to Dec 31 1992)
SEC Petition Evaluation Report, Petition SEC-00105, Report Rev #: 0
Report Submittal Date: October 3, 2008
Technical Basis Documents
Site Profiles for Atomic Weapons Employers that Refined Uranium and Thorium
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Contact Us
Address:
2495 Main Street, Suite 442
Buffalo, New York 14214
Phone:
(716) 852-7590
Fax:
(716) 852-7599
After Hours:
(716) 208-3525
Email Us:
R. William Stephens, Esq.
R. Hugh Stephens, Esq.
Lisa P. Neff, Esq.
