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.

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

A systematic review of 41 studies found that living with chronic environmental contamination can affect anxiety, stress, depression, and trauma symptoms. The research also shows that institutional dismissal of community concerns may deepen the harm.

The 2016 Metro State–RFD Health Survey collected 1,745 community health histories and reported concerning preliminary patterns involving thyroid and rare cancers. The findings were never conclusive—but the study closed before its proposed next steps or a final analysis could be completed.

The Union of Concerned Scientists explains how ionizing radiation can affect the body immediately or contribute to illnesses that emerge years later. Learn why this research matters to communities connected to the nuclear-weapons life cycle, including Rocky Flats.

In a 2018 position paper, Jefferson Parkway Advisory Committee member Randy Stafford examined decades of soil studies, health research and historical records to argue that disturbing soil along Indiana Street could create additional public-health risks. His paper brings together important evidence—and competing interpretations—at the center of the Jefferson Parkway debate.