nuclear-news

Friday will honor Americans sickened by working with nuclear weapons  Daily Sentinel, By JAMES BURKY James.Burky@gjsentinel.com, Oct 29, 2020     “…………Developing the U.S.’s nuclear arsenal came at a cost that the government denied for decades.The materials used in the Manhattan Project led to chronic illness and often death in the workers. Breathing in dust from beryllium, a toxic metal, for example, was one of the many hazards weapons workers were exposed to.

The U.S. government deflected these accusations until 2000 when it acknowledged that working with chemicals such as beryllium and uranium, produced chemicals that caused illness and death. Not long after the government’s acknowledgment, , the Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Act was passed in a bipartisan effort.

That long delay is why the groups such as Cold War Patriots continue to honor those who suffered and continue to do so, the release said.

Colorado War Patriots highlighted one Coloradan who worked at the Rocky Flats Plant, a nuclear power plant in Jefferson County near Arvada.

“I worked at Rocky Flats in Colorado for almost 30 years and was exposed to plutonium,” the person — identified as Jamie G. — said in the news release. The release claims the individual had part of a lung removed and must constantly be on oxygen. “In the early years the procedures and safety features weren’t very stringent. Now I have lung cancer and just recently found out it has come back and spread to my adrenal glands and kidneys.”  https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/western_colorado/friday-will-honor-americans-sickened-by-working-with-nuclear-weapons/article_df11905a-194b-11eb-a9db-0bc7727305fd.html