Several residents around the former Rocky Flats Nuclear site have written a letter to cities including Golden, Broomfield and Westminster. They’re urging them to ask the Environmental Protection Agency to test dust being kicked up on the east side of the site.
The residents are concerned about possible plutonium particles in the dust along an eastern section of the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge. The area they want tested is on land being considered for sale to construct a section of the Jefferson Parkway Toll road near Golden.
Dr. Leroy Moore of the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center is spearheading the issue. He’s concerned about the dust which would be kicked up during the toll road’s construction.
“ We don’t want to wait until we build the highway to find out it’s dangerous. I think it’s best for the public to know now, and once we recognize there’s plutonium suspension in the air, then we’ll have information that can be used.”
No city has yet responded to the letter. The center tested the soil just outside the eastern refuge boundary, and found plutonium levels approximately the same as they were in 1970, the last time the area was tested.
ED: This story originally aired in early 2012.
