Before East Palestine, there was Portsmouth

"Vina Colley was Erin Brockovich before Erin Brockovich," Kevin Williams wrote in a 2020 Belt Magazine article titled, "The Poisonous Legacy of Portsmouth’s Gaseous Diffusion Plant." Williams continues, "Colley has become an unlikely citizen-scientist, spending a lifetime researching and documenting PORTS and its sins... Colley was hired as an electrician at the facility in 1980 and worked there for three years. 'I was exposed to everything. We were cleaning off radioactive equipment that we did not know was radioactive. They never told us,' Colley told me. Then, she said, her hair started falling out, she developed rashes, and 'I got really sick and went to the hospital, not knowing that it was my job causing me all these problems. I had big tumors.' In the four decades since, she’s faced a range of health problems, including chronic bronchitis, tumors, and pulmonary edema." In this episode, we sit down with Colley herself to talk about growing up in Ohio during America's Cold War atomic age, her experience working as an electrician at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, and her decades-long fight to hold the plant and the government accountable for what they've done to her, her coworkers, and her community, and to get them the compensation they deserve.<br /><br />Additional links/info below…<br /><ul><li>Vina's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/vina.colley" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page</li><li>DOL Energy Advisory Board Information: Comments for the Record, "<a href="https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/owcp/energy/regs/compliance/advboard/colley_email2_11202019.pdf" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">My name is Vina Colley and I am a sick worker from the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion plant in Piketon, Ohio...</a>"</li><li>Kevin Williams, Belt Magazine, "<a href="https://beltmag.com/portsmouth-gaseous-diffusion-plant-legacy/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">The Poisonous Legacy of Portsmouth’s Gaseous Diffusion Plant</a>"</li><li>Erin Gottsacker, The Ohio Newsroom, "<a href="https://www.statenews.org/section/the-ohio-newsroom/2024-04-17/piketon-stopped-enriching-uranium-twenty-years-ago-now-the-nuclear-industry-is-coming-back" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Piketon stopped enriching uranium twenty years ago. Now the nuclear industry is coming back</a>"</li><li>Scioto Valley Guardian, "<a href="https://sciotovalleyguardian.com/2024/03/08/residents-in-pike-county-closer-to-justice-and-compensation-for-radioactive-contaminants/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Residents in Pike County closer to justice and compensation for radioactive contaminants</a>"</li><li>Sen. Sherrod Brown, Press Release: "<a href="https://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/sherrod-brown-secures-commitment-to-work-to-add-pike-scioto-county-residents-to-radiation-exposure-compensation-program" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Brown secures commitment to work to add Pike, Scioto county residents to radiation exposure compensation program</a>"</li><li>Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, "<a href="https://therealnews.com/east-palestine-residents-demand-fully-funded-healthcare" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">East Palestine residents demand fully-funded healthcare</a>"</li></ul>Permanent links below...<br /><ul><li>Working People <a href="https://www.patreon.com/WorkingPeople" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Patreon</a> page</li><li><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/workingpeople" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Leave us a voicemail</a> and we might play it on the show!</li><li>Labor Radio / Podcast Network <a href="https://www.laborradionetwork.org/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">website</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LaborRadioNet/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page, and <a href="https://twitter.com/laborradionet" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Twitter</a> page</li><li>In These Times <a href="https://inthesetimes.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">website</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/inthesetimesmag/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page, and <a href="https://twitter.com/inthesetimesmag" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Twitter</a> page</li><li>The Real News Network <a href="https://therealnews.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">website</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/therealnews" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">YouTube</a> channel, <a href="https://therealnews.com/our-shows-podcasts" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">podcast</a> feeds, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/therealnews" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page, and <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealNews" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Twitter</a> page</li></ul>Featured Music...<br /><ul><li>Jules Taylor, "Working People" Theme Song</li></ul>Studio Production: Maximillian Alvarez<br />Post-Production: Jules Taylor<br /><br />Become a supporter of this podcast: <a href="https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=rss">https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.</a><br /><b></b><br /><b>Follow us on:</b><br /><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/therealnews.com" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Bluesky: @therealnews.com</a><b><br /></b><a href="https://facebook.com/therealnews" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook: The Real News Network</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/therealnews" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Twitter: @TheRealNews</a><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/therealnews" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">YouTube: @therealnews</a><br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/therealnewsnetwork/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork</a><br /><a href="https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><b></b></a><br /><b></b><a href="https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><b>Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!</b></a>