Karen Silkwood: Uncovering the Hidden Plutonium Hazards in America’s Nuclear Industry
Karen Silkwood's story begins in the quiet town of Nederland, Texas, where she was born in 1946 and raised by her parents, Merle and Bill, alongside her two sisters, Rose Mary and Linda. Known for her academic focus, Karen excelled in high school, where she earned straight A’s and was inducted into the National Honor Society. Chemistry, in particular, sparked her interest, setting the stage for what she thought might be a career in science. Supported by a scholarship from the Business and Professional Women's Club, she enrolled at Lamar State College of Technology in 1964. But, like many young people, Karen’s plans shifted as her life took unexpected turns, ultimately leading her into a path that would bring her into conflict with one of the era's largest nuclear fuel companies.
A Sudden Change in Course
Only a year into college, Karen’s life changed dramatically when she met William Meadows, an oil pipeline worker. The pair fell quickly in love, and Karen eloped with Meadows in 1965, putting her academic ambitions aside. They had three children together, but their marriage faced difficulties, largely due to financial struggles and Meadows' extravagant spending habits. When the couple eventually declared bankruptcy, these pressures took a toll. In 1972, when Meadows refused to end an extramarital affair, Karen made the difficult decision to leave him, relocating to Oklahoma City and seeking work to support her family. She took a job as a hospital clerk and soon after began working at Kerr-McGee Corporation, where she would eventually confront a world of danger she could not have anticipated.
Kerr-McGee and Union Activism
In August 1972, Karen began working as a technician at Kerr-McGee’s Cimarron River nuclear plant near Crescent, Oklahoma. Her role involved testing plutonium fuel rods in the metallography lab, an environment that demanded stringent safety measures. Soon after starting, she joined the Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers Union (OCAW) and became a vocal advocate for workers’ rights and safety. Only a few months into her employment, Karen participated in a strike to protest poor working conditions. Kerr-McGee reacted swiftly by hiring local residents to replace the striking workers and took measures to try and decertify the union. Yet Karen was undeterred, and her persistence paid off when, in 1974, she became the first woman elected to the union’s bargaining committee.
In her new role, Karen took on the responsibility of investigating health and safety concerns at the plant. What she found deeply troubled her. Workers, including herself, were frequently exposed to unsafe levels of plutonium. Protective equipment was inadequate, and essential facilities like decontamination showers were insufficient for the number of employees. She reported her findings within the union and even took her concerns to the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). In September 1974, she testified before the AEC, explaining that lax safety standards at the Cimarron plant placed employees at risk and alleging that standards were relaxed in the interest of speeding up production. Her testimony was a significant step in bringing public attention to the unsafe practices within the nuclear industry.
The Plutonium Contamination Mystery
In the autumn of 1974, as Karen delved deeper into her research on Kerr-McGee’s practices, a disturbing series of events unfolded. On November 5, she conducted a self-check at work and discovered nearly 400 times the legal limit of plutonium contamination on her body. Despite a thorough decontamination process at the plant, she was still contaminated when she arrived at work the following day, despite having only handled paperwork that morning. By November 7, she tested positive for plutonium again, this time with contamination severe enough to affect her lungs.
The source of this contamination was puzzling. Although Kerr-McGee claimed that the contamination occurred at the plant, a closer look revealed inconsistencies. Tests on her gloves showed contamination on the inside, suggesting that the plutonium had not come from within the plant. Traces of plutonium were even found in her home, particularly in her bathroom and refrigerator, and some of her personal belongings had to be destroyed due to contamination concerns.
Karen believed that someone within the company was attempting to silence her by contaminating her personal environment, while Kerr-McGee argued that she might have intentionally contaminated herself to discredit the company. This standoff heightened the tension, as Karen was determined to expose what she believed was a cover-up of faulty safety practices and potential manipulation of fuel rod data at the plant.
The Night of November 13, 1974
On November 13, 1974, with her evidence in hand, Karen Silkwood attended a union meeting at the Hub Café in Crescent, Oklahoma. She reportedly had a folder of documents that she believed would expose the dangerous practices at Kerr-McGee. She had arranged to meet New York Times reporter David Burnham later that night, hoping that his investigative skills could help her bring Kerr-McGee’s practices to light. As she left the meeting and headed to Oklahoma City to meet Burnham, she was apprehensive but resolute.
Less than 30 minutes later, at approximately 7:30 p.m., Karen’s white Honda Civic was found crashed off State Highway 74. Her car had veered off the road, traveled along the shoulder, and struck a concrete culvert. She was killed instantly in the impact, pinned to the car’s steering wheel. The documents she had carried were missing.
Theories and Investigations
The initial police report stated that Karen had likely fallen asleep at the wheel, citing a small amount of methaqualone (Quaalude) in her blood. Yet, this theory didn’t sit well with her family and friends. The union hired crash investigator A.O. Pipkin Jr., who found signs that Karen had been awake and possibly struggling to control the car at the time of the accident. He noted damage to the rear of her car that was inconsistent with the head-on collision, raising the possibility that she had been forced off the road by another vehicle. Microscopic paint samples suggested her car may have been struck from behind, fuelling theories of foul play.
Pipkin’s findings led to speculation that Kerr-McGee, or individuals connected to the company, might have attempted to intimidate Karen by forcing her off the road, and that the accident turned fatal unintentionally. Another theory posits that she was being chased, possibly as part of an effort to scare her into abandoning her whistleblowing efforts. However, none of these theories have ever been conclusively proven.
A Legacy of Courage and the Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Trial
Karen Silkwood’s death was more than a personal tragedy; it became a catalyst for change. Her case drew national attention to the plight of nuclear industry workers and prompted a federal investigation into Kerr-McGee’s safety practices. Shockingly, the investigation revealed that the Cimarron plant had lost track of between 20 to 30 kilograms of plutonium, a quantity large enough to build several nuclear bombs. Concerns about a potential smuggling operation emerged, though these theories remained unverified.
Karen’s family, led by her father, filed a lawsuit against Kerr-McGee for negligence, which eventually went to trial in 1979. During the proceedings, evidence was presented showing that Karen had indeed been contaminated with plutonium, likely from her work at the plant. Kerr-McGee’s defence suggested that Karen might have contaminated herself, but the jury ultimately sided with the Silkwood family, awarding them $505,000 in damages and $10 million in punitive damages. The verdict was later reduced on appeal, but the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately upheld the family’s right to seek damages. In 1986, Kerr-McGee settled out of court for $1.38 million without admitting any liability.
This article draws on several sources that detail Karen Silkwood’s life, her work, and her legacy:
Rashke, Richard. The Killing of Karen Silkwood: The Story Behind the Kerr-McGee Plutonium Case. Houghton Mifflin, 1981.
Burnham, David. “Karen Silkwood: What She Found at Kerr-McGee.” The New York Times, March 3, 1975.
Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp., 464 U.S. 238 (1984) – United States Supreme Court case decision.
Ogle, Maureen. All the Nuclear Plants Are Haunted: Karen Silkwood and the Injustice of Industrial Catastrophe. University of Iowa Press, 1992.
“The Legacy of Karen Silkwood,” National Public Radio, NPR broadcast, November 13, 2004.
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