Flights set to check for radiation at Iowa Army Ammunition Plant

Flyovers are scheduled to start today in northeast Iowa as environmental experts look for traces of radiation. The Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in Middletown, near Burlington, has employed thousands of workers over the decades and was reportedly once a place where nuclear weapons were manufactured, but the Pentagon hasn’t released much information. There’s long been concern about radioactive pollution in the area, and perhaps in the groundwater. A helicopter will be used over the next four to six days, flying 50-feet or so above the ground, to sweep the 19-thousand acre complex and take air samples. Federal officials say instruments on-board will be able to detect any unusual radiation levels. Governor Vilsack calls the flyovers -quote- “a great victory” for the former ammo-plant workers and their families.