Former US Nuclear Center Now a Wildlife Refuge

A former nuclear weapons center is now a wildlife refuge.

美国一处前核武器工厂现在成为了野生动物保护区。

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service officially opened the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado last week. The factory made plutonium triggers for nuclear bombs for nearly 40 years.

美国鱼类和野生动物管理局上周正式开放了科罗拉多州Rocky Flasts国家野生动物保护区。这家工厂制造用于核弹的钚触发器长达近40年时间。

The new wildlife refuge is about 26 kilometers northwest of Denver, Colorado’s capital. The refuge is generally on flat land and covered with tall grass. It is home to bears, elk 1, falcons 2, songbirds and hundreds of other animals. Visitors to the area can enjoy views of the Rocky Mountains and some of Denver’s tallest buildings.

这处新的动物保护区位于科罗拉多州首府丹佛市西北约26公里处。保护区内大部分地区地势平坦，并覆盖着茂盛的草丛。它是熊、麋鹿、猎鹰和鸣禽等数百种动物的家园。游客在这里可以欣赏到落基山脉的风景以及丹佛市的高层建筑。

Jerry Jacka spent two hours riding his bicycle at the refuge last week. He says he was not worried about his safety. He told the Associated Press, “I don’t believe that they’re covering up any sort of information about pollutants 3 and radioactive elements and stuff in the soil.”

杰瑞·杰卡（Jerry Jacka）上周在该保护区骑行了两个小时。他称并不担心自己的人身安全。他对美联社表示：“我不认为他们会掩盖任何关于土壤中的污染物、放射性元素和原料的信息。”

The federal government built plutonium triggers at Rocky Flats from 1952 to 1989. During that period, there were a number of fires, leaks and spills at the factory. It was closed after a criminal investigation 4 into environmental violations 5.

联邦政府于1952年到1989年期间在Rocky Flats制造了钚触发器。在此期间，工厂发生了多次火灾以及泄漏事故。在对环境违法行为进行刑事调查之后，这处工厂被关闭。

The U.S. Energy Department said it found 28 kilograms of plutonium stuck in airways 6 inside factory buildings.

美国能源部称其发现有28公斤钚残留在工厂建筑的通风管道中。

Over the years, Rocky Flats’ operations were under the control of a number of businesses, including Rockwell International. In 1992, a court ordered Rockwell to pay a fine of $18.5 million after it admitted guilt 7 to charges that included mishandling chemical and radioactive material.

多年来，Rocky Flats的经营都处于包括罗克韦尔国际在内的多家企业的控制之下。1992年，在罗克韦尔公司对错误处理化学和放射性物质的指控认罪之后，法院判决该公司支付1850万美元的罚款。

The weapons factory covered five square kilometers at the center of the property. The area was cleaned up at a cost of $7 billion, but people are still barred from going there. The 21-square-kilometer area surrounding the factory was given to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for a wildlife refuge.

这家武器工厂的核心区域占地5平方公里。该地区花费了70亿美元的代价进行清理，但是人们仍然被禁止前往那里。工厂周边21平方公里的区域被交给了美国鱼类和野生动物管理局作为野生动物保护区。

About 16 kilometers of walkways are now open at the refuge. Visitors are told to stay on the paths and not go into the grasslands 8.

该保护区大约16公里长的步行道现在已经开放。游客们被告知要留在路上，不要进入草原。

State and federal health officials say the area is safe. But some people worry that plutonium particles could have escaped and are still on the property. Some are concerned that visitors could unsettle the particles or bring them home. At least seven Denver-area school districts have banned school field trips to the refuge.

州和联邦卫生官员表示该地区是安全的。但是有些人担心钚粒子可能会逃离出来并且仍然存在。有些人担心游客可能会扰动这些粒子，或是将它们带回了家。丹佛地区至少有7个学区禁止去该保护区实地考察。

Plutonium can get trapped in lung tissue, where it can kill lung cells and damage the tissue. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the tissue damage can lead to lung disease and cancer.

钚可能会留在肺组织中，它会杀死肺细胞并损伤肺组织。美国疾病控制和预防中心表示，这种组织损伤会导致肺部疾病和癌症。

Jon Simon rode his mountain bike on the refuge trails last week. Simon says he did not think he would develop plutonium-related health problems. But he worries that children might be at risk.

乔恩·西蒙（Jon Simon）上周在该保护区的小路上骑山地车。西蒙表示，他认为自己不会患上跟钚相关的疾病。但是他担心儿童可能会面临风险。

“I wouldn’t want to walk my kid through here every day in the morning for our morning walk or something like that,” he said.

他说：“我可不想带我的孩子每天早上步行穿过这里进行晨练之类的。”

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in this Story

stuff – n. materials, supplies, or equipment; used to refer to something when you do not need to name exactly what it is

mishandle – v. to deal with in the wrong day

radioactive element – n. a substance containing radiation

view – n. the ability to see something or to be seen from a place

trigger – n. a device that activates something else, causing it to explode