Health officials want radiation flyover in Southeastern Iowa

State health officials are calling for an expensive “flyover” in far southeastern Iowa to test for radiation which may be endangering hunters and fishermen. Donald Flater is chief of the radiological division of the Iowa Department of Public Health. He says the flyover would let them cover a large area is a short period of time.The 19-thousand acres surround the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, west of Burlington. Nuclear weapons were made and tested at the plant between the late 1940s and the mid 1970s. Flater says radioactive material has been found buried all around the plant in Des Moines County.He says “surprises” were also found in certain areas where there weren’t supposed to be any items buried. The Army is resisting the flyover test for radiation, saying it would cost about one million dollars. Flater says the flyover and report shouldn’t run much more than 300-thousand.