UKaren Silkwood wayengumsebenzi wezitshalo zenuzi futhi esebenza ngokushaya impempe esitshalweni iKerr-McGee Cimarron Fuel Fabrication Site ngaseCrescent, e-Oklahoma. NgoNovemba 13, 1974, waqala ukuhlangana nentatheli ukuze aphumele obala nobufakazi bokwephulwa okukhulu kwezokuphepha. Kamuva watholakala eseshonile. Imoto yakhe ibibonakala ukuthi ibaleke emgwaqeni kanti nemibhalo abenayo ibingekho.
Ngokweminye imibiko, uSilkwood wayephume nenani elincane le-plutonium ngaphandle kwesitshalo futhi wazingcolisela yena nefulethi lakhe ngamabomu. Kungani kufanele enze izinto ezixakile kangaka lokhu kuhlale kungumbuzo, futhi ngaphezu kweminyaka engamashumi amane kamuva, ukufa kwakhe kusese yimfihlakalo.
Impilo Yasekuqaleni KaKaren Silkwood
UKaren Gay Silkwood wazalwa ngoFebhuwari 19, 1946, eLongview, eTexas, kubazali bakhe ogama lakhe linguWilliam Silkwood noMerle Silkwood wakhulela eNederland, eTexas. Ufunde eLamar University eBeaumont, eTexas. Ngo-1965, washada noWilliam Meadows, owayesebenza ngamapayipi kawoyela, owayenezingane ezintathu. Ngemuva kokushabalala komshado, uSilkwood washiya iMeadows ngo-1972 wathuthela e-Oklahoma City, lapho asebenza khona okwesikhashana njengomabhalane esibhedlela.
Umsebenzi Wenyunyana kaSilkwood
Ngemuva kokuqashwa esitshalweni iKerr-McGee Cimarron Fuel Fabrication Site eduze kwaseCrescent, e-Oklahoma, ngo-1972, uSilkwood wajoyina i-Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers Union futhi wabamba iqhaza esitelekeni esakhiweni. Ngemuva kokuphela kwesiteleka, wakhethwa kwiKhomishini Yezinyunyana Yezabasebenzi, owesifazane wokuqala ukufinyelela kuleso sikhungo embonini iKerr McGee.
USilkwood wabelwa ukuthi aphenye ngezinkinga zezempilo nezokuphepha. Uthole lokho akholelwa ukuthi kukwephula imithetho eminingi yezempilo, kufaka phakathi ukuveza abasebenzi ekungcoleni, imishini yokuphefumula enamaphutha, nokugcinwa kwamasampula ngendlela engafanele.
I-Silkwood Yangcoliswa
Ngobusuku bangoNovemba 5, 1972, uSilkwood wayepholisha amapelethi e-plutonium azosetshenziselwa ukwenza izinduku zikaphethiloli ze- "breeder reactor" yesikhungo samandla enuzi. Kwakungo-6: 30 ntambama, lapho umtshina we-alpha wawufakwa ebhokisini lakhe lagilavu - kwakuwucezu lwento okwakumele imvikele ekuchayekeni ezintweni ezinemisebe ye-radioactive. Ngokusho komshini, ingalo yakhe yangakwesokudla yayimbozwe nge-plutonium.
Ukuhlolwa okwengeziwe kwaveza ukuthi i-plutonium yayivela ngaphakathi kwamagilavu akhe - leyo kwakuyingxenye yamagilavu akhe ayexhumana kuphela nezandla zakhe, hhayi amaphilisi. Ngemuva kwalokho, odokotela bezitshalo bambheka ezinsukwini ezimbalwa ezizayo, futhi abakutholile kwakungajwayelekile impela: Amasampuli kaSilkwood nomswani ayengcoliswe kakhulu yi-radioactivity, njengoba kwakunjalo nefulethi ayehlala nalo nomunye umsebenzi wezitshalo, kodwa akekho owayengasho ukuthi kungani noma ukuthi lowo "msebenzi we-alpha" ufike kanjani lapho.
Ngakusasa ekuseni, ngenkathi eya emhlanganweni wezingxoxo zezinyunyana, uSilkwood wabuye wahlolwa ukuthi une-plutonium, yize ayenze imisebenzi yamaphepha ngalolo suku ekuseni. Amnikeze ukukhishwa ngamandla okukhulu.
Ehlobo lika-1974, uSilkwood wafakaza ku-Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) mayelana nokungcoliswa, esho ukuthi amazinga okuphepha ashibilikile ngenxa yokushesha kokukhiqiza. Ubebonakala namanye amalungu ezinyunyana.
Ukufa Okusolisayo kukaKaren Silkwood
Ngemuva kokusebenza kwakhe ngoNovemba 13, 1974, uSilkwood waya emhlanganweni wezinyunyana ngaphambi kokuya ekhaya ngeHonda yakhe emhlophe. Ngokushesha, amaphoyisa abizelwa endaweni yengozi ku-Oklahoma's State Highway 74: USilkwood ngandlela-thile ushayise ikhonkrithi kakhonkolo. Wayeseshonile ngesikhathi kufika usizo.
Ukuhlolwa kwesidumbu sakhe kuveze ukuthi ubephuze umthamo omkhulu wamaQuaaludes ngaphambi kokuba ashone, okungenzeka ukuthi kwamenza walala esondweni; Kodwa-ke, umphenyi wengozi uthole ama-skid mark kanye nesifaca esisolisayo ku-bumper wemoto yakhe ngemuva, okukhombisa ukuthi imoto yesibili iphoqe uSilkwood ukuba aphume emgwaqeni.
Okuthile Okungajwayelekile Kwaboniswa Emibikweni
Ngenxa yokukhathazeka kokungcola, i-Atomic Energy Commission kanye ne-State Medical Examiner bacele ukuhlaziywa kwesitho kuSilkwood ngohlelo lokuhlaziywa kwezicubu zeLos Alamos. Imisebe eminingi yayisemaphashini akhe, okuphakamisa ukuthi i-plutonium ihogelwe. Lapho izicubu zakhe zihlolwa ngokuqhubekayo, imali yesibili ephezulu kakhulu yatholakala ezithweni zakhe zesisu. Lokhu kukhombisile ukuthi uSilkwood wayengenise iplutonium ngandlela thile, futhi, akekho owayengasho ukuthi kanjani noma ngani.
Ukufa KukaSilkwood Kusengumbono Ongaqondakali
Ngemuva kokushona kabuhlungu kukaSilkwood, ubaba wakhe uWilliam Silkwood wamangalela uKerr-McGee, futhi inkampani yagcina ilikhokhele leli cala ngo- $ 1.3 million, kanye nezinye izimali zomthetho. UKerr-McGee, ekugcineni, wavala isitshalo sakhe seCrescent ngo-1979, futhi cishe eminyakeni engamashumi amahlanu kamuva, ukufa kukaKaren Silkwood kuseyimpicabadala kuze kube namuhla.
