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.

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.

With support from a Roddenberry Foundation Catalyst Grant, Rocky Flats Downwinders brought together scientists, community members and a Colorado hemp grower to investigate an unusual question: Could industrial hemp take up plutonium from soil collected near Rocky Flats? The pilot experiment produced intriguing results—and important questions for further research.

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.

The discovery of Rocky Flats-derived plutonium in air-filter samples collected along Indiana Street has renewed concerns about plans to expand the Rocky Mountain Greenway trail system near the former nuclear weapons plant. The Rocky Mountain Greenway Project began in 2016 as an effort to connect three national wildlife refuges—Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Two Ponds and Rocky Flats—through a regional trail network. Plans include an underpass connecting the Rocky Flats National Wild

In January 2012, longtime Rocky Flats researcher and activist LeRoy Moore and photographer Robert Del Tredici published an opinion piece in the Boulder Daily Camera titled “Plutonium is forever.” Moore later preserved the article on his Rocky Flats blog, where it remains available today. More than a decade later, the piece provides an important historical perspective on concerns surrounding Rocky Flats, the proposed Jefferson Parkway and opening the Rocky Flats National Wildl

In 2012, LeRoy Moore and Robert Del Tredici published “Plutonium is forever,” an opinion piece raising concerns about residual plutonium contamination, the Jefferson Parkway and public recreation at Rocky Flats. More than a decade later, the article offers a historical perspective on questions about soil disturbance, public access and long-term stewardship that continue to surround Rocky Flats today.

Decades before homes were built at Candelas, members of the Church-McKay family sued over radioactive contamination of property near Rocky Flats and its effect on land use and value. Years later, Charles Church McKay became a developer of Candelas. The documented history connects Rocky Flats contamination, litigation and modern development in ways many current residents may never have heard.

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.