 A major fire at the facility in 1957, as well as leakage from nuclear waste stored at the site between 1958 and 1968, resulted in the contamination of some parts of Denver, to varying degrees, with plutonium-239, a harmful radioactive substance with a half-life of 24,200 years.Studies have linked the contamination to an increase in birth defects and cancer incidence in central Denver and nearer Rocky Flats.With the large military and federal presence in the area the aerospace industry followed.