Do you remember the movie Silkwood with Meryl Streep?

[undeterred]

Its based on the true story of a woman who makes plutonium fuel rods for nuclear reactors and is deliberately exposed to radiation because of what she discovers about the company (Kerr-McGee). It really gives you the idea what its like to work inside that kind of environment. Very high stress.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silkwood

[polichick]

1. I do remember - good film and, as usual, Streep was great!

[Brigid]

2. Yes, I remember.

"Highly trained technicians," as I recall. Turns out, not so much.

[undeterred]

5. They didn't really get how dangerous it was.

[montanacowboy]

3. She was murdered

because of what she knew; they couldn't prove it was Kerr McGee goons but figure it out

[Kennah]

4. Kerr-McGee settled out of court for $1.38 million, but they did nothing wrong

Right, sure.

:sarcasm:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Silkwood#Estate_of_Karen_Silkwood_v._Kerr-McGee

[spanone]

6. kerr-mcgee 'offed' her

......Later that evening, Silkwood's body was found in her car, which had run off the road and struck a culvert. The car contained no documents. She was pronounced dead at the scene from a "classic, one-car sleeping-driver accident". The trooper at the scene remembers that he found one or two tablets of the sedative methaqualone (Quaalude) in the car, and he remembers finding marijuana. The police report indicated that she fell asleep at the wheel.

The coroner found 0.35 milligrams of methaqualone per 100 milliliters of blood at the time of her death — an amount almost twice the recommended dosage for inducing drowsiness.<7>
However, some<8> have theorized that Silkwood's car was rammed from behind by another vehicle and with the intent to cause an accident that would result in her death. Skid marks from Silkwood's car were present on the road, which have prompted some to suggest that she was desperately trying to get back onto the road after being pushed from behind.<4>:99-101, 114-115

Investigators also noted damage on the rear of Silkwood's vehicle that, according to Silkwood's friends and family, was not present prior the accident. The crash was entirely a front-end collision, so there would be no explanation for the damage to the rear of her vehicle. A microscopic examination of the rear of Silkwood's car showed paint chips that could only have come from a rear-impact from another vehicle. Silkwood's family claimed that Silkwood did not have any accidents or fender-benders with the car that they knew of, and that the 1974 Honda Civic she was driving was not a used car when it was purchased. Further, there had been no insurance claims filed on the vehicle.<4>:114-115

The car did not contain any documents, which relatives swore she took with her and had placed on the seat beside her, leading some to allege that they were stolen from her car immediately after the crash in order to silence her allegations concerning her workplace. According to Silkwood's family, she had received several threatening phone calls very shortly before her death. Such speculation about foul play has never been substantiated.<4>
Silkwood's organs were analyzed as part of the Los Alamos Tissue Analysis Program by request of the Atomic Energy Commission and the State Medical Examiner. Much of the radiation was in her lungs, which tends to suggest that the plutonium was inhaled. When her tissues were further examined, the second highest deposits were found in her gastrointestinal organs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Silkwood

[undeterred]

8. And she was on her way to meet a reporter from the New York Times

wasn't she?

[WillyT]

9. ...

Death

Later that evening, Silkwood's body was found in her car, which had run off the road and struck a culvert. The car contained no documents. She was pronounced dead at the scene from a "classic, one-car sleeping-driver accident". The trooper at the scene remembers that he found one or two tablets of the sedative methaqualone (Quaalude) in the car, and he remembers finding marijuana. The police report indicated that she fell asleep at the wheel. The coroner found 0.35 milligrams of methaqualone per 100 milliliters of blood at the time of her death — an amount almost twice the recommended dosage for inducing drowsiness.<7>

However, some<8> have theorized that Silkwood's car was rammed from behind by another vehicle and with the intent to cause an accident that would result in her death. Skid marks from Silkwood's car were present on the road, which have prompted some to suggest that she was desperately trying to get back onto the road after being pushed from behind.<4>99-101,114-115

Investigators also noted damage on the rear of Silkwood's vehicle that, according to Silkwood's friends and family, was not present prior the accident. The crash was entirely a front-end collision, so there would be no explanation for the damage to the rear of her vehicle. A microscopic examination of the rear of Silkwood's car showed paint chips that could only have come from a rear-impact from another vehicle. Silkwood's family claimed that Silkwood did not have any accidents or fender-benders with the car that they knew of, and that the 1974 Honda Civic she was driving was not a used car when it was purchased. Further, there had been no insurance claims filed on the vehicle.<4>:114-115
The car did not contain any documents, which relatives swore she took with her and had placed on the seat beside her, leading some to allege that they were stolen from her car immediately after the crash in order to silence her allegations concerning her workplace. According to Silkwood's family, she had received several threatening phone calls very shortly before her death. Such speculation about foul play has never been substantiated.<4>

Silkwood's organs were analyzed as part of the Los Alamos Tissue Analysis Program by request of the Atomic Energy Commission and the State Medical Examiner. Much of the radiation was in her lungs, which tends to suggest that the plutonium was inhaled. When her tissues were further examined, the second highest deposits were found in her gastrointestinal organs.

Public suspicions led to a federal investigation into plant security and safety, and a National Public Radio report concerning 44 to 66 pounds of misplaced plutonium. Silkwood's story emphasized the hazards of nuclear energy and raised questions about corporate accountability and responsibility. Kerr-McGee closed its nuclear fuel plants in 1975. The grounds of the Cimarron plant were still being decontaminated 25 years later.<7>

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Silkwood#Death

:shrug:

[WillyT]

18. Oh... And A Real Picture Of The Woman..

:kick:

[niyad]

15. I also remember that the immediate area where the "crash" occurred was repaved within days--nowhere

else in that area, just that part.

[WillyT]

7. Yep... K & R !!!

:kick:

[tridim]

10. I do, but honestly I don't remember Kurt Russell being in that film.

I always confuse it with The China Syndrome, which I think starred Michael Douglas?

[pacalo]

11. When she was moved to Craig Nelson's character's area filing photo negatives

of the fuel rods, etc., she noticed some blackened parts & asked him about it. He gave her a b.s. answer but she later found out the parts showing defects were darkened with an inky substance to hide them.

Great movie. It was shown on TCM during Oscar month & I dvr'ed it.

[undeterred]

14. It was a great cast and a great story.

I was working with fairly harmless radioactivity at the time but it still gave me the chills every time those alarms went off.

[H2O Man]

12. Sure do.

I thought it was outstanding, even though she was in it.

[Pacifist Patriot]

13. Not a fan I take it?

[niyad]

16. yes, I remember that very well.

[suffragette]

17. Been thinking of that film quite a bit lately

[Toucano]

19. I watched it again last week.

Great job by Mike Nichols in the director's chair, though he has gotten better with age.

Some things I noted about this dramatization of the Karen Silkwood story are:

• Plutonium disappeared from the plant in substantial quantities.
• The doctors in Los Altos admitted they had no real idea what constitutes safe exposure.
• The people who regulate the nuclear energy industry are the nuclear energy industry.

[mrmpa]

20. It was on TMC a few weeks ago & I recorded it, will watch it this week.