This month, our country recognizes a group of workers who quietly made personal sacrifices to protect our country and our freedom,” says the NIOSH website that is key to understanding what the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, EEOICPA, is and who is qualified for it.

“October 30, 2010, will be the second National Day of Remembrance for American nuclear weapons program workers and uranium miners, millers, and ore transporters,” the website says.

“These workers did not just do a job. During a time when our country was at war, and later, during the Cold War, they discreetly built a nuclear weapons program to protect and defend their families, neighbors, and fellow citizens across the country. In doing so, some of these workers were exposed, often unknowingly, to the types of workplace risks that NIOSH now strives every day to prevent. Some of these workers sacrificed their health. Some lost their lives as a result of these exposures.

“From the beginning of our involvement in this compensation program, NIOSH’s core values have been an integral part of our activities. In particular, the core values of quality of science, transparency, and accountability are at the heart of the actions, decisions, and communications in this program.

“As NIOSH continues to fulfill its role under EEOICPA, we would like to again recognize our debt of gratitude owed to these workers. They quietly made sacrifices to protect our country. NIOSH honors that debt with our commitment to quality of science, transparency, and accountability in our work.

“We invite you to join NIOSH in honoring these workers on the second National Day of Remembrance, October 30, 2010.”