FBB Chapter 7- Kasey Gould

                Throughout this whole book I’ve found it ridiculous that Rocky Flats at least as the government is concerned cannot be blamed for employee’s health problems. It is obviously caused by the things that go on there. After and during her time there Kris has an unexplained medical problem. Iverson writes, “I see yet another doctor, and they can’t figure out what’s wrong” (276). Eventually she is diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, but then has surgery removing a tumor from her lymph nodes.

                In this chapter Iverson finally admits why she writes this book. She says that after living in Europe for years she couldn’t find anything to write about, but when she moved back to Colorado she found the “most important story to tell. She would tell about, “the two things have frightened me the most in life. Rocky Flats and Dad’s alcoholism” (Iverson 283).

                Even though Rocky Flats is under new management and has been more honest with the people they still are doing questionable things. One of which is burning hundreds of acres of land that is contaminated. This clearly cannot be good for anyone in the surrounding area. Scientists and residents protest this, but it goes nowhere. Iverson writes that, “burning contaminated grass and plants will release radioactive smoke, easily inhaled, that will expose people living in the area to plutonium and other contaminants” (289). Even after all Rocky Flats has been through, the DOE still doesn’t care about anyone besides themselves.