Plutonium found in Rocky Flats soil near Denver, though 2nd test shows lower level

Elevated levels of plutonium were found in the soil near a former nuclear weapons plant outside Denver, while a second test showed far lower levels, health officials said Tuesday.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said it is trying to sort out the conflicting results of tests done near the Rocky Flats plant, which made plutonium triggers for nuclear warheads from 1952 until 1989.

The plant underwent a $7 billion cleanup that was finished in 2005.

The health department is taking the test results seriously, but it does not believe there is an immediate threat to public health, said Jennifer T. Opila, director of the department’s Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division.

Read more: https://coloradosun.com/2019/08/20/rocky-flats-plutonium-levels-soil-denver/