Big Victory for Workers Contaminated by Radiation at NY Verizon Nuclear Waste Site

US Senator Charles Schumer announced in a Newsday article yesterday that treatment, medical monitoring and potential compensation are on the way for potentially thousands of workers who formerly worked atop the nuclear waste site owned by Verizon in Hicksville, New York.  In addition to announcing the new benefits for workers, a frustrated but determined Senator Charles Schumer stated that "I will hold the Army Corps’ of Engineers feet to the fire" and "the site should have been cleaned up yesterday", referring to his previous efforts in 2004 to achieve a full cleanup.   

Shocked that their efforts in 2004 to secure a federal cleanup of the Hicksville, Long Island,  New York nuclear waste site have not been completed to date, both Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman Pete King vowed to to cut through the bureaucracy and finger pointing.  Both Schumer and King were reacting to a letter request for intervention from the attorney for Gerard Depascale, who the New York Workers’ Compensation Board recently found contracted a rare cancer while working for the Hudson News Group on this site and was awarded lifetime workers’ compensation and medical benefits.  In a previous Newsday artcle on Mr. Depascale, Mr. Rosasco compared the illnesses facing the Hicksville workers as similar to the ilnesses facing 9/11 workers who were exposed at Ground Zero.   "Over the course of the next 10-20 years, I believe we are going to see more cases of cancer and other illnesses related to radiation at this site", said Rosasco.

This new aid promised by Senator Schumer will be especially welcome to those workers who were exposed to ionizing radiation  and other toxins on the site and are now in fear of getting sick in the future.  In addition, the Army Corp of Engineers promised to return to the site this May for more investigation.    Turley Redmond & Rosasco, L.L.P. is compiling a list of  workers who ever worked on this site and may have been exposed to radiation and other chemicals.  Please call , Esq. at 631-582-3700, ext. 123 if you worked at this site and would like to be on the list for possible testing, treatment and/or compensation.   We will keep you posted on further developments.