10 famous whistleblowers in US history

Karen Silkwood

In 1972, Karen Silkwood began working as a chemical technician at the Kerr-McGee nuclear plant near Crescent, Oklahoma. Silkwood joined the local Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers' Union, and investigated health and safety issues at the plant as a union activist. Silkwood discovered numerous safety issues, including exposure of workers to contamination, faulty respiratory equipment, and more. She testified to the United States Atomic Energy Commission in summer 1974 about her concerns.

Silkwood died in a car accident on Nov 13, 1974, at age 28 under suspicious circumstances. While officials ruled the death as an accident, paint on the rear bumper of her new car and missing documents regarding plant safety caused onlookers to question whether she had been intentionally forced off the road. Silkwood was on her way to meet a New York Times reporter regarding plutonium contamination at the time of her death. In 1975, the Kerr-McGee plant was shuttered, and in 1979, Silkwood's father and children successfully sued Kerr-McGee on behalf of her estate. Meryl Streep was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Karen Silkwood in the 1984 film, Silkwood.