Nuclear waste isn't all that's hot at Hanford.

So are tickets to tour the closed nuclear reservation.

In 13 hours and 9 minutes all 2,544 seats for Hanford public tours this year from April through September had been claimed.

CHICAGO - After an imaging test revealed a small nodule in Dr. Len Lichtenfeld's lung, his doctor ordered a series of CT scans. But Lichtenfeld turned them down.

As deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, Lichtenfeld knew the tiny nodule probably wasn't dangerous and that new research has documented an increased risk of cancer from CT scans.

"The reality is, I thought the radiation dose from those follow-up scans represented more of a threat than the nodule," he said.

HANFORD — Some ill nuclear workers and their survivors continue to struggle with the claims process for compensation from the federal government, according to the annual report from the ombudsman for the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program.

The report was issued a week before town hall meetings are planned in Kennewick by the U.S. Department of Labor to help ill Hanford or Pacific Northwest National Laboratory workers and their survivors.

The program pays $150,000 to workers with cancer because of radiation exposure at Hanford or other Department of Energy nuclear sites and up to $250,000 for lost wages or impairment due to illnesses caused by hazardous chemical exposure. Medical costs also are covered.