The Karen Silkwood Mystery: The True Story Behind Silkwood (1983)

In 1983, director Mike Nichols released Silkwood, a political drama rooted in one of the most disturbing real-life stories of 1970s America. Starring Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, and Cher, the film dramatizes the final months of Karen Silkwood — a nuclear plant worker whose death remains officially ruled an accident, but widely questioned.

More than four decades later, Silkwood endures not because it offers answers, but because the questions surrounding Karen Silkwood refuse to fade.

Karen Silkwood and the Kerr-McGee Plant

Karen Gay Silkwood (1946–1974) worked as a chemical technician at the Kerr-McGee Cimarron Fuel Fabrication Site near Crescent, Oklahoma. The facility manufactured plutonium fuel rods for nuclear reactors, a job governed by strict federal safety standards.

By 1974, Silkwood had become active in the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union (OCAW). According to union records and later federal findings, workers at the plant raised concerns about faulty equipment, inadequate training, and pressure to meet production goals despite safety risks.

In September 1974, Silkwood testified before the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), alleging that Kerr-McGee management tolerated unsafe conditions and falsified quality-control documentation. Subsequent investigations would confirm serious regulatory violations at the plant.

The Contamination Incident

In early November 1974, Silkwood tested positive for plutonium contamination during routine self-monitoring. Despite repeated decontamination procedures, she continued to register contamination over the following days.

The situation became more troubling when trace amounts of plutonium were later detected in her apartment, including bathroom and kitchen areas. Kerr-McGee maintained that the contamination could have resulted from procedural errors or improper handling. Silkwood, however, believed she was being deliberately contaminated to undermine her credibility as a whistleblower.

No definitive explanation for the source of the contamination was ever established.

November 13, 1974

On the evening of November 13, Silkwood attended a union meeting at a café in Crescent, Oklahoma. Witnesses later stated that she appeared upset but determined. She reportedly carried a manila folder containing documents related to plant safety issues.

After leaving the meeting, Silkwood began driving toward Oklahoma City, where she was scheduled to meet OCAW representative Steve Wodka and New York Times reporter David Burnham.

She never arrived.

At approximately 7:40 p.m., Silkwood’s car left the roadway on State Highway 74 and struck a concrete culvert. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The road was straight and dry, and weather conditions were clear.

The folder she was reportedly carrying was never recovered.

The Official Ruling

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol concluded that Silkwood died in a single-vehicle accident, likely caused by driver fatigue. Toxicology reports showed no alcohol in her system, but did detect methaqualone (Quaalude), a sedative legally prescribed at the time. The level present was not considered fatal.

The state medical examiner ruled the death accidental.

However, members of the OCAW and Silkwood’s family expressed doubts almost immediately.

Lingering Questions

A private investigator hired by the union noted damage to Silkwood’s vehicle that he believed suggested contact with another car, as well as skid marks indicating braking and attempted correction. These findings were disputed by state investigators, and no conclusive evidence of foul play was established.

The missing documents Silkwood was believed to be carrying have never been found.

While no criminal charges were filed, the unresolved details surrounding the crash have continued to fuel debate among journalists, labor historians, and nuclear safety advocates.

Aftermath and Legal Legacy

Federal investigations into Kerr-McGee following Silkwood’s death confirmed significant safety violations at the Cimarron facility. The plant was permanently shut down in 1975.

In 1979, Silkwood’s family filed a civil lawsuit against Kerr-McGee for negligence related to plutonium contamination. A jury awarded compensatory damages and punitive damages, a decision later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp. (1984). The ruling affirmed that nuclear facilities could be held liable under state tort law.

Kerr-McGee later reached a financial settlement with the family without admitting wrongdoing.

Silkwood (1983) and Why the Story Endures

Mike Nichols’ Silkwood does not attempt to solve the mystery of Karen Silkwood’s death. Instead, it focuses on the human cost of speaking out against powerful institutions.

Meryl Streep’s performance emphasizes Silkwood’s ordinariness — she is not portrayed as a crusader, but as a worker who gradually realizes the risks she is taking. That restraint gives the film its power.

The story endures because the central questions remain unanswered. How was Silkwood contaminated? What happened to the documents? And was her death truly accidental?

Karen Silkwood never lived to see the changes her actions helped bring about. But her case remains a cautionary tale — and a reminder of the price sometimes paid for telling the truth.

Research Notes & Sources for the curious.

Primary Sources & Reporting

• The New York Times coverage by David Burnham (1974–1979)

• Atomic Energy Commission investigation reports (1974–1975)

• OSHA and Nuclear Regulatory Commission follow-up findings

Legal Records

• Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp., 464 U.S. 238 (1984)

• Federal court transcripts from the 1979 civil trial

Books & Secondary Sources

• Richard Rashke, The Killing of Karen Silkwood (1981)

• Howard Kohn, “Who Killed Karen Silkwood?” (Rolling Stone, 1975)

Film Context

• Silkwood (1983), directed by Mike Nichols

• Interviews with Nichols and screenwriter Nora Ephron discussing factual restraint

Key Editorial Safeguards

• No criminal guilt has ever been legally established

• Cause of death remains officially ruled accidental

• Contamination source remains unresolved