NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. -- Dorathea Mort has been trying to file a claim for her husband, a former Hooker Chemical employee, for the past 14 years.
"He worked there from '42 to '82. He passed away in '89. I'm 100 percent certain it was caused from the chemicals he worked," said Mort.
Her husband died of cancer. He's one of hundreds of former employees who worked at Hooker Chemical in the 1940s who may have been exposed to significant levels of radiation while helping to build the nuclear arsenal.
Congressman Brian Higgins said, "For some, this exposure was a contributing factor to cancer and other health problems," said Rep. Brian Higgins, D-26th District.
Hooker Electrochemical Corporation was on Buffalo Avenue where Occidental Chemical Corporation is now. More than 600 claims have been filed for former Hooker Chemical employees and to date, only 35 claims have been approved.
"Previously, Hooker Chemical employees and their families faced an uphill battle. In most cases, the 'dose reconstruction' process required records that either never existed or are no longer available," said Higgins.
Thanks to a recent designation by the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, certain cases for compensation will be considered under a Special Exposure Cohort. It's extended to atomic weapons employees who worked at Hooker Chemical for at least 250 days between July 1944 and December 1948, and were diagnosed with one of 22 specified cancers. Under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program, those who qualify could receive $150,000 in compensation.
"It won't bring him back but it would help," said Mort.
The U.S. Department of Labor will hold a resource session to answer questions and assist with claims on Dec. 2 from 9 a.m. to noon and 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. at the FourPoints by Sheraton Niagara Falls. Spouses and children of former Hooker Chemical workers are encouraged to attend.