The plight of the 'Downwinders,' Americans afflicted by nuclear testing fallout dating back to the mid-20th century, persists as advocates race against time for justice and extended compensation. As ABC15 reports, these individuals who were exposed to radioactive fallout from nearly 200 atmospheric nuclear weapon tests in the US now face a ticking clock with the impending expiration of a critical compensation act.
Sherrie Hanna, who lost her father and her husband to cancers linked to radiation exposure, has become a vocal advocate in the fight for extending and enhancing the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), which is set to expire in early June. Hanna's family, like many others, resided in Northern Arizona—a region affected by the government's nuclear endeavors. "They knew that there were dangers associated with this," Hanna told ABC15. "It's very distressing."
Currently, RECA provides $50,000 to Downwinders and $100,000 to uranium workers, sums that advocates argue fall short of covering aggressive cancer treatments. According to the Downwinders website, eligibility for compensation extends to residents or their survivors in specific counties of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, who lived there during the periods of active nuclear testing.
Despite bipartisan support and the Senate's passing of a RECA expansion, the U.S. House is up against the wire with less than a month of working days to approve the bill. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Senator Ray Lujan (D-NM) have authored the expansion to extend RECA's reach. President Joe Biden has expressed willingness to sign the updated act into law, spotlighting the issue's cross-party importance. "This is so critical, it would be just unconscionable... if Congress cannot come together," Hanna remarked in a statement obtained by ABC15.
While concerns over the expansion's cost, estimated to range from $8 to 10 billion per year, have emerged as a point of contention, proponents like Lilly Adams of the Union of Concerned Scientists highlight that this figure represents a small fraction of the US's annual nuclear weapon maintenance budget. As the deadline looms, Downwinders and their advocates continue to press for the acknowledgment of the past and a more substantive commitment to the future care of those who bore the brunt of America's nuclear ambitions.
