Karen Silkwood

Karen Silkwood
Poster from the Christic Institute archives.
Born	Karen Gay Silkwood (1946-02-19)February 19, 1946 Longview, Texas, U.S.
Died	November 13, 1974(1974-11-13) (aged 28) near Crescent, Oklahoma, U.S.
Cause of death	Car crash, unclear circumstances
Occupation	Laboratory technician
Spouse	William Meadows ​ ​ (m. 1965; div. 1972)​
Children	3

Karen Gay Silkwood (February 19, 1946 – November 13, 1974) was an American laboratory 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.