Nurse says no to nukes

Most nurses strive to avoid death, but on Wednesday evenings, Ann Suellentrop, RN, dresses as death.

Suellentrop works for Physicians for Social Responsibility, a nonprofit dedicated to the prevention of nuclear weapons production and use.

Suellentrop travels from her house in Kansas City, Kan., to the Bannister Federal Complex in south Kansas City, Mo., every Wednesday to protest the Kansas City Plant’s production of parts used for nuclear weapons.

“It’s one of eight sites nationwide,” Suellentrop said.

Suellentrop sometimes dresses in a black “death” costume to draw attention from people driving by.

“Stuff like that gets people’s attention,” she said.

Nurse with a mission

Nuclear arms discussions are not common at U.S. dinner tables these days. Suellentrop said when the Cold War ended, many people became apathetic about nuclear weapons.

But Suellentrop’s desire for a nuke-free society has not wavered.

“There’s no cure for the nuclear bomb,” she said. “Prevention is the only cure.”

Suellentrop serves on the board of Peaceworks.

“It’s amazing what a few people can do,” she said.

Suellentrop graduated from Avila University in 1975. She received the Alumni Achievement Award in 2009 for her work toward peace.

“This is a historic time right now,” Suellentrop said.

Suellentrop participates in national marches to support disarmament.

On the local level, Suellentrop said she advocates for accountability at the Kansas City Plant, which Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Technologies manages for the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Suellentrop said Honeywell employees often suffer from exposure to contaminants, such as beryllium. She said the plant causes environmental damage that the community will deal with for years to come.

“I just don’t really think they are stepping up to the plate,” Suellentrop said.

According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the Blue River, which runs near the Kansas City Plant, has bacteria pollutants from urban run-off. The department plans to review the river’s Maximum Daily Load in 2011.

The Kansas City Plant has 2,700 employees. Some former employees have shared their concerns with Suellentrop.

Employee with a concern

Maurice Copeland, Kansas City, Kan., worked at the Kansas City Plant for 32 years. He started out as a tool maker and then worked as a general machinist for eight years.

“I made parts that go in weapons,” Copeland said.

At the time, Copeland said he did not worry about his exposure to chemicals. The job paid well, and he said he did not know the risks involved.

“We worked with 7,000 chemicals out there,” Copeland said.

When Copeland stepped into management in 1988, his outlook started to change.

Copeland said he became aware of the effects of beryllium exposure and did not think the plant adequately addressed the issue.

“We never were instructed to inform them of the hazards,” Copeland said. “Over the years they made certain adjustments.”

Copeland said the company upgraded equipment and provided physicals for employees.

But Copeland said the physicals seemed to overlook the real health risks faced by plant employees.

Workers exposed to beryllium can develop chronic beryllium disease. Symptoms of the disease include shortness of breath, cough, fevers, skin rash, fatigue and night sweats. There is no cure for chronic beryllium disease. Latter stages of the disease lead to scarring of the lung.

Copeland retired from Honeywell in 2000. He now organizes current and former employees to help them secure workers’ compensation and funds from the Energy Employees’ Occupational Illness Compensation Program. The federal program, which began in 2000, provides compensation to employees who have illnesses due to exposure to beryllium, silicosis and ionizing radiation wile working at a nuclear plant.

The U.S. Department of Energy has standards for beryllium exposure. Honeywell would not answer how the company monitors those standards at the Kansas City Plant but did issue a statement.

“The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Kansas City Plant complies with local, state and federal worker safety laws and requirements. Our commitment to health, safety and environmental performance has been recognized by customers and peers as an industry benchmark,” the company stated in an e-mail to Kansas City Nursing News.

Copeland said stories of Kansas City Plant employees with chronic beryllium disease or cancer are common.

Beryllium is a known carcinogenic and the effects of exposure can manifest years after exposure.

Copeland’s wife has cancer, which he said could be related to the beryllium he brought home on his clothes.

Copeland said his wife has not been tested for beryllium levels because of the high cost of the test.

“I tried to get the doctor that she’s going to, to do it but he won’t do it,” Copeland said.

Community with a cause

Copeland protests the Kansas City Plant with Suellentrop. Members throughout the Kansas City community often join them.

Dezmond 337 Jones, Midtown, played ball at the baseball fields near the Kansas City Plant as a child.

“I didn’t realize that I was so close to all that contamination,” Jones said.

Jones protests alongside Copeland and Suellentrop.

“We must be trained properly and we can’t pass down this contamination to our children,” he said.

Theodore Priest Hughes agrees. Hughes said it is encouraging to see younger people involved in the movement.

“Every great movement has started with the young people,” Hughes said.

Jane Stoever and her husband, Henry Stoever, have been involved in the anti-nuclear movement for several years.

“It’s up to the Kansas City people to learn about the plant,” Jane Stoever said. “Very, very few people are aware.”

The Kansas City Plant plans to relocate to a smaller building at Missouri Highway 150 and Botts Road.

Suellentrop said she wants the building at the Bannister Federal Complex to be cleaned properly, an initiative that could create green jobs. She also said she does not want the plant to open at a new site.

Copeland has a wish list as well.

“I would like for (Honeywell) to admit, which will never happen, that they’ve been deceiving people,” Copeland said. “Why is the government so up in arms about secondhand smoke but they are not concerned about secondhand contaminants?”

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