Karen Silkwood
Karen Gay Silkwood (February 19, 1946 – November 13, 1974) was an American chemical technician and labor union activist known for reporting concerns about corporate practices related to health and safety in a nuclear facility.
Karen Silkwood | |
|---|---|
Poster from the Christic Institute archives. | |
| Born | Karen Gay Silkwood February 19, 1946 Longview, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | November 13, 1974 (aged 28) near Crescent, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Car crash, unclear circumstances |
| Occupation |
|
| Spouse |
William Meadows
(m. 1965; div. 1972) |
| Children | 3 |
She worked at the Kerr-McGee Cimarron Fuel Fabrication Site in Oklahoma, making plutonium pellets, and became the first woman on the union's negotiating team. After testifying to the Atomic Energy Commission about her concerns, she was found to have plutonium contamination on her body and in her home. While driving to meet with a New York Times journalist and an official of her union's national office, she died in a car crash, the circumstances of which were never explained entirely.
Her family sued Kerr-McGee for the plutonium contamination. The company settled out of court for US$1.38 million, while not admitting liability. Her story was chronicled in Mike Nichols's 1983 Academy Award nominated movie Silkwood in which she was portrayed by Meryl Streep.