Questions: Rocky Flats/Elevation (Denver, Colorado Springs: real estate, house, buy)

[miz77]

Considering a possible move to the Boulder.

The whole radioactive event at Rocky Flats makes me feel concerned. Can anyone educate me further on this, and what areas would be the safest/furthest from Rocky Flats, but still in a reasonable distance from Boulder? Actually the job would be in Thornton, so cities near there, that are family friendly, homeschool friendly and safe from Plutonium would be great.

Are there any concerns about groundwater/drinking water and the radioactive fire that occurred??

Also, my other concern is the higher elevation and the effects on the body. Has anyone had, or heard of people having difficulty with the elevation? I keep reading mixed opinions on asthma and the area, also.

Thanks.

[pikabike]

Altitude affects different people differently. Have you visited the area at all?

The fire happened a long time ago. The site was remediated and closed. Yes, there are remnants of Pu in the environment. Obviously not enough to keep the hordes from moving to the Front Range towns and cities. If you're that worried about radiation, don't move to a high-altitude region.

[TCHP]

IMO, living at altitude with its exposure to UV because of the lack of atmosphere and the proliferation of radon because of the decomposition of rocky mountain granite is a much greater risk to ones health than any fall out from Rocky Flats. However, I'd also note that Colorado is in the lower percentiles of cancer rates within the nation.

Like pikabike says, altitude impacts people differently. The US Olympic Committee is located in Colorado Springs and has extensive athlete training programs because there of the impact altitude has on the body. For a small number of people, adapting to the altitude is never fully accomplished.

Asthma, seasonal allergies, or other respiratory events can be reduced or increased depending on a large number of personal factors that make it hard to generalize. The extremely dry air here is a significant impact on these conditions and I would recommend you discuss specific conditions with your MD to get a feel if altitude and dryness in concert would add or subtract to your symptoms.

[OhioToCO]

I'd say negative effects of dry air beat altitude effects for most people. 5000 ft is not that high for a reasonably healthy individual to adjust over a month or two. Some people get nosebleeds and blame it on altitude, but in reality it's from dry air.

On the other hand, it's easier to remedy negative effects of dryness: whole house humidifiers, diligent use of lotion, drinking more water are all pretty cheap and effective ways to deal with it.

For me, personally, dealing with altitude (and I mean above 10,000 ft) got better over the years I've lived here (5.5 years now) and with regular exposure to it. I got used to Boulder-Denver altitude very quickly, but would still get out of breath going skiing even at lower elevation (Eldora with 10,800 at the top). Gradually, it became a non-issue - I don't even notice 11-12K ft skiing high bowls at Copper. Last year I did my first 14er - was feeling effects of altitude starting at 12,000 ft. Did two more this year, and amazingly enough felt great almost all the way to the top (last 500 ft between 13,700 and 14,200 were a bit slow trying to catch my breath, but definitely better than last year).

However, as others have said, altitude affects people differently, and you won't know until you are exposed to it for a period of time. For example, even though I no longer get out of breath at >10,000 ft, I get a pretty bad migraine coming down from altitude almost every time. It's like magic - some evil switch gets flipped once we are pass Idaho Springs on I-70 or a few miles down Boulder canyon after skiing Eldora .

[brown_dog_us]

On this wikipedia page you can click and enlarge a map of where the radioactive plume went after the fire. If you are worried about contamination, then don't live where the Pu was spread.

[smihaila]

Originally Posted by pikabike

The fire happened a long time ago. The site was remediated and closed. Yes, there are remnants of Pu in the environment. Obviously not enough to keep the hordes from moving to the Front Range towns and cities.

You gotta be kidding, right?
Do you have any knowledge on what the Plutonium's half-life is?
Also the company which was contracted to do the remediation had cut corners, and actually got paid a bonus for finishing earlier. And instead of burying the stuff at at least 6 feet deep with soil, they did only 3 feed deep. There is some youtube material circulating, showing an interview with the CEO of that company, praising how good their work was. BUT IMAGINE THIS: she was shown with the Rocky Flats in the background, with green grass, birds chirping and so on. Only the deers were missing. But guess what - she was NOT actually in the area when filmed, the background was just a post-addition, a fake if you want.
I see that as another form of deception - if the CEO of that company was SCARED to go in the field to actually do the interview, that says something....

[smihaila]

Some material worth studying:

1. Rocky Flats - Weapons to Wildlife - 4-parts video made by the company who was the main contractor for cleanup at RF (CH2M Kaiser-Hill):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8ojatfdY5c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUSDy7QeU6g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCspMIDPESQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_6JVfCePXM

2. Practices of the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant, a 3-part movie done very scientifically and neutral, by a nuclear Physicist:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tkRFP7cUXA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl8EmQK5kow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kot1THqBII

3. How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Plutonium:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeJ5EWIshaI

4. Colorado's Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant:
Colorado's Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant | Democracy Now!

5. The Ambushed Grand Jury:
The Ambushed Grand Jury

Disclaimer: I have no vested interests in real estate or disinformation, or promoting FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt). I am only looking for truth and shedding more light onto this highly catastrophic event that just happened here (something more important - in a negative sense though, than the 7 wonders of the worlds, or what the Roman Empire contributed to history - I see it as one of the worst contributions of the humankind to this planet - something that will "last" for ... 600,000 years). Also, I have witnessed the Chernobyl incident (was a kid living in Eastern Europe at that time, dangerously close to Ukraine and Ukraine's "downwind"). I have discovered more facts about Rocky Flats while being in progress of relocating to this area with job. Currently live in Superior, close to the area. But planning to move out (somewhere in Denver South - Englewood/Centennial) because I consider it an increased risk factor.

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by smihaila

You gotta be kidding, right?
Do you have any knowledge on what the Plutonium's half-life is?
Also the company which was contracted to do the remediation had cut corners, and actually got paid a bonus for finishing earlier. And instead of burying the stuff at at least 6 feet deep with soil, they did only 3 feed deep. There is some youtube material circulating, showing an interview with the CEO of that company, praising how good their work was. BUT IMAGINE THIS: she was shown with the Rocky Flats in the background, with green grass, birds chirping and so on. Only the deers were missing. But guess what - she was NOT actually in the area when filmed, the background was just a post-addition, a fake if you want.
I see that as another form of deception - if the CEO of that company was SCARED to go in the field to actually do the interview, that says something....

As I stated right in my post that you quoted, there is still Pu in the environment. DUH. You neglected to bold that part.

The CEO of CH2M Hill probably was filmed elsewhere to save money or travel time. Nothing unusual about that kind of thing. You are fearmongering by implying that she was scared. You don't know why the interview took place elsewhere.

[A1eutian]

The only people who have trouble at 5,000 ft are those with severe lung or heart problems. You may notice it if you do cardio exercise for the first month, but after that your body adjusts.

As far as Rocky Flats, you should be concerned and do as much research as you can, then judge whether the risk is worth it to you. Make sure you get your information from several sources. Check on the local water supply and even pay for test of your tap water if you can afford it. THAT would be my main concern, knowing that radioactive plumes can show up decades after the original event. It's not inconceivable to think that buried waste leached into the soil, and that it will some day get into aquifers and surface water down stream, away from Boulder county.

What little research I've done leads me to believe that the people most at risk were those living downwind from radioactive gases released in 1957 and 1969, and the employees of RF. That being said, I don't think I would buy a house in Arvada, where the homes seem to have the fact that they're only a few miles from the Flats factored into their price.

They are significantly less than Boulder and surrounding cities, I suspect that proximity to the notorious Superfund site is the reason.

[brown_dog_us]

Originally Posted by A1eutian

Check on the local water supply and even pay for test of your tap water if you can afford it. THAT would be my main concern, knowing that radioactive plumes can show up decades after the original event. It's not inconceivable to think that buried waste leached into the soil, and that it will some day get into aquifers and surface water down stream, away from Boulder county.

If the property is served by a public water supplier, then it is already tested. If it is on a well, then a homeowner would be wise to test their water regularly. The State has some great info here.