PIKETON, Ohio -- An early-detection lung cancer screening program for current and former workers of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant has resumed.

The program provides free screenings for nuclear weapons workers, who are more at risk of lung cancer than the general population. The program, which was suspended in 2006, resumed with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the United Steelworkers Local 1-689 union hall in Piketon, Ohio, on Thursday.

The Worker Health Protection Program, which is a joint venture between the United Steelworkers Union and Queens College of the City University of New York, uses low-dose CT scanning to detect lung cancer at its early and most treatable stage.

Early detection before the development of symptoms may significantly increase life expectancy and quality of life, compared to detecting lung cancer after a patient develops symptoms, according to a press release from the WHPP. A 42-foot mobile unit, containing a state-of-the-art Siemens CT multi-slice scanner, has begun examining eligible former workers from the Portsmouth site.

The mobile screening unit is available to hourly and salaried current and former workers who meet pre-determined eligibility criteria for lung cancer risk. The unit is currently located in the parking lot of United Steelworkers Local 1-689 union hall. In the coming weeks, it will travel to Paducah, Ky., and Miamisburg and Harrison, Ohio, to screen other Department of Energy plant workers. More than 1,000 workers are expected to be screened during the next 12 months.

Occupational exposures to lung carcinogens such as asbestos, uranium, plutonium and beryllium, put nuclear weapons workers at a higher risk for lung cancer. The United States Department of Energy is providing funding for this program as part of its Former Worker Medical Screening Program, according to the press release.

The DOE has supported low-dose CT scanning for early lung cancer detection as part of its Former Worker Medical Screening Program at six other sites in the DOE complex: Paducah and Oak Ridge gaseous diffusion plants (2000-2006); Y-12 and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (2006 - present) and Mound and Fernald (2009-present).

To date, more than 9,200 workers have had CT scans through the program, according to the press release. Of these, 60 lung cancers have been detected, with the majority -- 77 percent -- detected at early stages. By comparison, in patients who aren't diagnosed with lung cancer until they begin to experience symptoms, only about 16 percent are still in the early, treatable stages. Survival rates for late-stage lung cancer are very low.

Hourly and salaried current and former employees from the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant may call toll-free, 1-866-228-7226, to get more information about eligibility for the WHPP Early Lung Cancer Detection Program.

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