Randy Stafford spent months reviewing decades of Rocky Flats contamination and health studies for the Jefferson Parkway Advisory Committee. His 26-page analysis identified contradictions in study methods, risk models and conclusions—raising a larger question: what would it take to finally conduct the kind of health research Rocky Flats communities need?

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.

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.