Silkwood

On November 13, 1974, Karen Silkwood, an employee of a nuclear facility left to meet with a reporter from the New York Times... She never got there! Karen Silkwood worked at the Kerr McGee atomic plant in Cimaron, Oklahoma and lived with boyfriend Dew Stevens and girlfriend Dolly Pelliker. She wants to visit her children in Texas but is told by her supervisor that she must find someone to work her hours. Returning from the depressing visit, she finds the plant shut down for decontamination. She is suspected of sabotaging the plant to get time off. Karen is herself contaminated and, reading union literature, discovers that this can cause cancer and genetic damage. She is transferred to another department and sees her new boss doctoring x-ray negatives of fuel rods. Karen volunteers for union help and flies to Washington to meet national union officers about safety lapses in the Kerr McGee plant. Drew is annoyed by her activities and moves out. Karen is urged to collect evidence and give it to the New York Times. Karen is contaminated again and investigators discover that her home is full of radiation. Karen, Drew and Dolly fly to Los Alamos for testing but she is the only one to prove contaminated. - with a large dosage beyond union quoted safety levels. Karen agrees to meet the New York Times man, goes to work, attends a union meeting and drives off with her evidence to meet the reporter. She is killed when her car crashes - no documents were found with her body and an autopsy revealed alcohol and tranquillisers in her blood. One year later the Kerr McGee plant is shut down. © ABC Films