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.

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.