Denver-area former nuclear site opens to public
Health officials say area is safe, amid skepticism
DENVER— Cyclists and hikers explored a newly opened wildlife refuge at the site of a former nuclear weapons plant in Colorado on Saturday, while a demonstrator wearing a gas mask brought signs warning about the dangers of plutonium.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service openedthegatesofrockyflats National Wildlife Refuge on the perimeter of a government factory that made plutonium triggers for nuclear bombs for nearly four decades.
Spread across a rolling plateau 16 miles northwest of downtown Denver, the refuge is a rare oasis of tallgrass prairie, with bears, elk, falcons, songbirds and hundreds of other species. It offers sweeping panoramas of the Rocky Mountain foothills and Denver’s skyscrapers.
Jerry Jacka, who spent two hours mountain biking at the refuge Saturday, said he was not worried about his safety despite lawsuits and protests by people who argued the government has not tested the refuge thoroughly enough.
“I don’t believe that they’re covering up any sort of information about pollutants and radioactive elements and stuff in the soil,” Jacka said.
The government built plutonium triggers at Rocky Flats from 1952-89, a history marred by fires, leaks and spills. The plant was shut down after a criminal investigation into environmental violations.
The U.S. Energy Department, which oversaw the plant, said it found 62 pounds of plutonium stuck in exhaust ducts of buildings. Rock- well International, the contractor then operating the plant, was fined $18.5 million after pleading guilty in 1992 to charges that included mishandling chemical and radioactive material.
Health officials say the site is safe, but some people worry that plutoniumparticleseludedthecleanupand could be sprinkled over the refuge, where hikers and cyclists could track them home. At least seven school districts have barred field trips to the refuge.
Plutonium can lodge in lung tissue, where it can kill lung cells and cause scarring, which in turn can cause lung disease and cancer, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“You have a situation where you still have plutonium in the soil being disturbed by the wildlife and the weather,” said Stephen Parlato, his voice muffled by the gas mask he wore at the refuge.
The opening was thrown into doubt Friday when Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who oversees the Fish and Wildlife Service, said he wanted to wait for more information about safety.
An hour later, the Interior Department said a review was complete and the refuge would open.