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 |
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| Spouse |
William Meadows
(m. 1965; div. 1972) |
| Children | 3 |
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.
She worked at the Kerr-McGee Cimarron Fuel Fabrication Site in Crescent, Oklahoma, making plutonium pellets. She was the first woman ever elected to the union's negotiating team at Kerr-McGee. After testifying to the Atomic Energy Commission about her safety concerns, she was found to have plutonium contamination in her body and 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 that Silkwood suffered from. 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.