Benefits Offered to 1950s-Era Workers at Uranium Ore Station

Tuesday, July 30, 2019 | 0

The federal government is offering compensation to workers at a South Dakota uranium ore buying station who may have become sick as a result of exposure to toxic materials on the job.

The federal Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation program may provide benefits to workers at the American Smelting and Refining Co. and Lucius Pitkin Inc. station in Edgemont from 1952 to 1956, or their surviving family members, the Rapid City Journal reported. The publication said it received a notice from the federal government regarding the offer.

Compensation and medical benefits may be available to contractor and subcontractor employees of the station who, “as a result of this employment, sustained illnesses arising from their exposure to toxic substances, including exposure to radiation,” the notice stated.

The Edgemont ore station is covered by the federal program because uranium miners sold ore there to the federal government for use in the nation’s Cold War buildup of nuclear weapons.

For those who qualify for the benefits, compensation can take one of two forms: lump-sum payments of $150,000, plus medical expenses, or up to $250,000 for wage losses, impairment benefits and medical expenses.