New RFD Resource: Environmental Exposure Letter for Primary Care Providers

Rocky Flats Downwinders has created a new resource to help community members discuss their environmental exposure history with their doctors.

The Environmental Exposure Letter for Primary Care Providers is designed for people who lived, worked, or attended school near the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant. The one-page letter gives healthcare providers a concise overview of Rocky Flats’ operating history, materials associated with the facility, potential long-term health concerns, and cancers associated with radiation exposure.

Why bring this letter to your doctor?

Many healthcare providers—and many current residents—may be unfamiliar with Rocky Flats and its history as a nuclear weapons production facility.

From 1952 until plutonium operations ended in 1989, Rocky Flats manufactured nuclear-weapons components. Historical operations involved plutonium, uranium, americium, beryllium, solvents, and other hazardous substances. Because some illnesses associated with radiation exposure may take years or decades to appear, a patient’s history of living, working, or attending school near Rocky Flats may be relevant to their medical history.

This letter is intended to help patients begin a respectful and informed conversation with their healthcare providers. It does not prove that Rocky Flats caused a particular illness, establish an individual radiation dose, or recommend a special screening protocol.

How to use the letter

1. Download and print the one-page letter.

2. Bring it to your next primary-care or specialist appointment.

3. Tell your provider when and where you lived, worked, or attended school near Rocky Flats.

4. Ask that your environmental exposure history be documented in your medical record.

5. Discuss your personal health history, family history, symptoms, and appropriate preventive care with your provider.

Download the letter

Download and print the RFD Environmental Exposure Letter for Primary Care Providers

You may also share the letter with family members, neighbors, former residents, and healthcare professionals who may benefit from learning more about the history of Rocky Flats.

Rocky Flats Downwinders does not diagnose illness or provide individualized medical advice. Our purpose is to educate, connect, and advocate so that the experiences and health concerns of people connected to Rocky Flats are not overlooked.

Educate. Connect. Advocate.