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New legislation has been introduced in Congress concerning Rocky Flats Downwinders and the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). For Rocky Flats Downwinders, this is an important development to follow. RFD has advocated for years for people affected by Rocky Flats to receive greater recognition, health monitoring and support, including consideration under federal radiation-exposure programs. Rather than relying on social media or secondhand reports for updates, we encou

In 1991, an Associated Press investigation revealed a journal kept by Rocky Flats worker Jacqueline Brever documenting alleged radioactive contamination, workplace safety failures, and retaliation. Her account and the experiences of fellow worker Karen Pitts offer a rare perspective on life inside the nuclear weapons plant during its final years of production.

Rocky Flats was recognized for its nationally significant role in Cold War nuclear weapons production. Its National Register of Historic Places documentation also records the plant's industrial operations, environmental controversies, safety concerns, and the events leading to its closure. The 34-page federal record offers a revealing look at the history behind the former weapons facility.

A recorded 2016 City of Arvada development agreement required Candelas homebuilders to provide homebuyers with a Contiguous Area Report discussing the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons facility immediately north of the community. Buyers were required to sign the report, and signed copies were to be recorded. The documents also raise another question: what happens to that disclosure when a home becomes a rental?

In 1979, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a Rocky Flats Advisory Notice informing certain prospective homebuyers near the nuclear weapons plant about off-site plutonium contamination and a radiological emergency-response plan. The federal warning offers a striking glimpse into what residents were told about Rocky Flats—and raises questions about how that information changed over time.

In 1976, Jefferson County public health director Dr. Carl Johnson and two U.S. Geological Survey scientists reported plutonium concentrations in respirable surface dust downwind of Rocky Flats as high as 380 times their measured background. Published in Science, their research questioned whether measuring plutonium in whole soil adequately captured the potential hazard from fine particles capable of becoming airborne and being inhaled.

CDPHE’s cancer studies provide limited geographic comparisons, but they did not identify exposed residents, reconstruct residential histories, measure individual exposure, or follow people over time. Without that information—and with questions about the study boundaries and Denver metro comparison population—the health effects of Rocky Flats remain unresolved.

Dr. Carl Johnson was Jefferson County's public health director when he began investigating plutonium contamination and cancer around Rocky Flats. His controversial research reported higher cancer incidence in areas with greater measured contamination, and his work became entangled with development, property values and his removal from office. Decades after his death, Johnson is increasingly remembered as an important Rocky Flats whistleblower whose questions about public heal

Rocky Flats Downwinders is seeking independent researchers in epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, research methodology, health policy and public-health communication to evaluate both CDPHE's Rocky Flats cancer studies and how their findings have been communicated. The objective is not to predetermine whether Rocky Flats caused disease. It is to determine what the existing evidence can—and cannot—establish and ensure that Colorado communicates those distinctions

The Town of Superior has adopted Resolution R-73 supporting H.R. 10115, proposed federal legislation that could expand radiation-exposure compensation eligibility to qualifying people affected by Rocky Flats. The resolution puts the neighboring community's support for the legislation formally on the record.

CDPHE has analyzed cancer-registry data around Rocky Flats for decades. But cancer-registry analysis is not the same as monitoring the long-term health of people who may have been exposed during Rocky Flats operations. Understanding that distinction is essential to understanding what Colorado's cancer studies can—and cannot—tell us.

New federal legislation could extend radiation-exposure compensation to people affected by Rocky Flats, bringing long-sought recognition to downwind communities and renewed attention to their health concerns.

If you lived, worked or attended school near Rocky Flats, does your healthcare provider know? Learn why sharing your Rocky Flats history matters—and download RFD’s Environmental Exposure Letter to help start an informed conversation with your healthcare provider.

Existing cancer-registry studies provide useful information about people diagnosed while living near Rocky Flats—but that is not the same as following the people who lived there during historically relevant periods. RFD is advocating for independent research that considers residential history, migration, latency, exposure-informed geography and long-term health outcomes.

Rocky Flats Downwinders is launching the Truth & Transparency Campaign to ask Colorado for clearer disclosure about what existing Rocky Flats cancer studies can—and cannot—tell us, greater data transparency, independent technical review, and research designed to address the health experiences of people who actually lived near Rocky Flats during historically relevant periods.

The federal government already funds radiation-exposure screening and education, including a RESEP clinic at National Jewish Health in Denver. Rocky Flats Downwinders aren't currently among the populations it serves. We believe they should have access to comparable screening, education and medical guidance.

CDPHE says decades of cancer monitoring have not found elevated rates among residents living near Rocky Flats. But who was actually studied: people present during potential exposure or people living nearby when diagnosed? Our exchange with Colorado’s cancer registry examines this critical distinction

Broomfield's Resolution 2026-115 supports expanding the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act at a critical moment. H.R. 10115 could bring federal recognition and assistance to communities surrounding Rocky Flats—communities that have spent decades asking for greater acknowledgment, health research and support.

On Mother’s Day 1969, plutonium caught fire inside Rocky Flats Buildings 776/777. Firefighters battled the blaze for hours as portions of the filtration system were damaged and plutonium escaped. The accident became a turning point—bringing questions about contamination from the secretive nuclear weapons plant into public view.

On September 11, 1957, a plutonium fire at Rocky Flats spread into the building's filtration system, allowing radioactive material to escape into the atmosphere. Decades later, Colorado researchers reconstructed the accident and mapped how airborne plutonium may have traveled across surrounding communities.