Product Description
Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company — the original Manhattan Project prime contractor at the Hanford Engineer Works (later DOE Hanford Site) in Richland WA from 1943 through 1946, and again as a legacy source of process design across successor GE, Rockwell, and Westinghouse Hanford eras — allegedly specified, installed, and left in service asbestos-woven fabric lagging and asbestos-block thermal insulation across Hanford’s plutonium separations canyons (T-Plant, B-Plant, U-Plant, PUREX Plant, REDOX Plant) and associated hot-cells. Asbestos lagging allegedly wrapped canyon deck process piping, solvent extraction columns, and reactor cooling piping runs. Asbestos gasket sets were allegedly used at canyon deck and hot-cell flanged joints.
Plaintiffs alleged that DuPont-era canyon asbestos-containing lagging remained in service at Hanford across successor operating contractors through 1988 production shutdown, requiring repeated tear-out and re-lagging during canyon campaigns, hot-cell rebuilds, and later D&D operations.
Workers Exposed
Plaintiffs allegedly exposed to DuPont Hanford plutonium separations canyon asbestos-containing components include:
- DOE contractor plutonium separations operators in T, B, U, PUREX, and REDOX canyons
- Plutonium metallurgists working canyon deck and hot-cell operations
- DOE facility pipefitters on canyon deck process piping and reactor cooling systems
- DOE facility insulators re-lagging canyon deck and hot-cell piping
- DOE facility maintenance mechanics on canyon rebuilds
- Radiation control technicians and health physics staff on canyon decks
- DOE facility instrumentation techs on separations process controls
- Hanford D&D crews during canyon and reactor shutdown campaigns