Downwinders facts for kids
Downwinders are people and communities, mostly in states like Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, who were exposed to harmful radioactive contamination or nuclear fallout. This happened because of nuclear weapons testing done in the atmosphere or underground, and sometimes from nuclear accidents.
The term "downwinders" can also include people exposed to radiation from making and taking care of nuclear weapons, nuclear power plants, nuclear waste, and even coal ash. In areas near U.S. nuclear sites, downwinders might have been exposed to radioactive materials that got into their water, food, and the air they breathed. Some downwinders were also exposed to high levels of radiation from uranium mining or nuclear experiments.
People exposed to this radiation have shown serious health problems. These include more cases of cancers, thyroid diseases, and possibly problems with female reproductive organs that could lead to birth defects. The effect of nuclear contamination on a person depends on how much radiation they received and for how long. Other important factors include a person's age, where they live, and if they were also exposed to other harmful things in the environment.
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Nuclear Testing and Fallout
Between 1945 and 1980, countries like the United States, the U.S.S.R., the United Kingdom, France, and China set off 504 nuclear bombs in the air. These tests were like exploding 440 megatons of TNT. The United States did 330 of these atmospheric tests. Overall, the U.S. has done 1,054 nuclear weapons tests, mostly at the Nevada Test Site and in the Marshall Islands. About 2,000 nuclear tests have happened worldwide.
These nuclear tests released huge amounts of radioactive material into the air. This material spread widely and then fell back to Earth as "global fallout."
How Downwinders Were Exposed
When a nuclear bomb explodes above ground, it creates a huge mushroom cloud. This cloud moves with the wind, spreading radioactive materials over nearby areas. Large particles fall close to the explosion site, but smaller particles and gases can travel around the world. Some explosions even sent radioactive material high into the stratosphere (more than 10 kilometers up). This material could float there for years before falling back to Earth everywhere. This is called "global fallout," and it means everyone is exposed to a higher level of man-made radiation. While "downwinders" are those closest to the explosion, the increased health risks from radiation in the air affect people globally.
Nuclear Testing Today
In 1996, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was adopted. This treaty aimed to stop all nuclear testing. The U.S. stopped testing in 1992, but its Senate has not yet fully approved the treaty. Since 1996, only three countries have tested nuclear weapons: India and Pakistan (in 1998), and North Korea (in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2016, and 2017).
Specific Test Sites
New Mexico
On July 16, 1945, the U.S. military conducted the world's first test of an atom bomb. This test, called Trinity, happened in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The people living in New Mexico became the first victims of an atom bomb.
Scientists had warned about the dangers to civilians years before the test. They suggested that the bomb might kill many civilians because of how radioactive substances spread with the wind. They also recommended monitoring the danger area to warn people. However, federal officials mostly ignored these warnings. New Mexico residents were not warned before the 1945 Trinity blast, told about health dangers afterward, or moved to safety before, during, or after the test.
Nevada
From 1951 to 1962, the Nevada Test Site (NTS) was a main location for nuclear testing, both on the surface and above ground. There were 100 such tests, and all of them released a lot of radioactive material into the air. Above-ground testing stopped in 1958 but started again in 1961 after the Soviet Union broke an agreement. The Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963 then banned all above-ground testing. After that, tests were done underground, which usually did not release fallout.
In the 1950s, people living near the NTS were even encouraged to sit outside and watch the mushroom clouds from the explosions. Many were given radiation badges to wear, which the United States Atomic Energy Commission collected to measure radiation levels.
A 1997 report found that nearly 90 atmospheric tests at the NTS released high levels of radioactive iodine-131 across a large part of the United States. This was especially true in 1952, 1953, 1955, and 1957. The report estimated that these doses could cause 10,000 to 75,000 extra cases of thyroid cancer in the U.S. A 2006 report estimated that about 22,000 extra radiation-related cancers and 2,000 extra deaths from radiation-related leukemia could happen in the U.S. because of radiation from the NTS and global fallout.
Even in 2007, there was still concern about radiation from the Nevada Test Site. The Pentagon planned to test a large "bunker buster" weapon called "Divine Strake." This test would have created a big cloud of contaminated dust that could have blown towards cities like Las Vegas, Boise, Salt Lake City, and St. George, Utah. This project was canceled in February 2007, largely because of public concern about downwind exposure to radioactivity.
Hanford
Many downwinders were exposed to nuclear weapons testing, but millions more were affected by radioactive fallout from U.S. sites that produced nuclear weapons or nuclear power. For example, Hanford is a former nuclear weapons production site in south-central Washington state. It released radioactive materials into the air, water, and soil. These releases happened during normal operations, but also from accidents and intentional releases.
In 1986, public pressure forced the United States Department of Energy to release 19,000 pages of secret documents about Hanford. These reports showed that radioactive materials had been released into the air and the Columbia River. The reactors used a lot of river water for cooling, which made the water radioactive. This contaminated the river and groundwater systems, affecting aquatic animals as far west as the Washington and Oregon coasts.
A study called the Hanford Thyroid Disease Study looked at the link between exposure to radioiodine and thyroid disease among Hanford's downwinders. The results were not clear. A large lawsuit was filed by two thousand Hanford downwinders against the companies that ran Hanford. In October 2015, the Department of Energy settled the final cases, paying over $60 million in legal fees and $7 million in damages.
Marshall Islands
While "downwinders" usually refers to people in the U.S., the people of the Marshall Islands also suffered greatly from nuclear testing. The Marshall Islands were managed by the United States from 1944 to 1979. During this time, the U.S. tested 66 nuclear weapons there as part of its Pacific Proving Ground program.
One of these tests, the Castle Bravo explosion on March 1, 1954, caused most of the radiation exposure for the Marshall Islanders. The fallout from this single test is believed to be the highest ever recorded from nuclear testing worldwide. Many of the Marshall Islands remain contaminated. Many downwinders who lived on the islands at the time of testing have suffered from a much higher number of cancers and birth defects.
Effects of Radiation on Health
The main long-term health risk from radiation exposure due to nuclear fallout is an increased risk of thyroid cancer, other solid cancers, and leukemia. Studies show a clear link between radiation exposure and cancer risk.
Overall, men in the United States get cancer at a rate 22% higher than women. However, women develop cancer from radiation at a rate 37.5% to 52% higher than men. Recent studies have confirmed that women are at a much higher risk of radiation-induced cancers than men.
For example, one report estimated that women have a 48 percent higher risk of dying from radiation-related cancer than men. Another report found that women's risk of developing cancer from the same level of radiation exposure is 52 percent higher than men's. For specific cancers like thyroid cancer, the difference is even greater. Women are much more likely to develop radiation-induced thyroid cancer than men.
Studies also suggest that radiation might work with other risk factors for breast cancer. For example, chemicals like PCBs and dioxins might increase the risks from radiation even more. Some downwinder women worry about passing radionuclides through breast milk, making them hesitant to breastfeed their children. While reducing radiation intake for infants is important, breastfeeding can also reduce a woman's risk of breast cancer. By not breastfeeding, downwinder women might face an even higher risk of breast cancer.
Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes
Research shows that high levels of radiation can cause miscarriages. If a pregnant woman is exposed to high doses of radiation early in pregnancy (between 10 and 40 days), when the baby's organs are forming, there is a greater risk of birth defects.
After 40 days of pregnancy, radiation exposure is more likely to cause low birth weight, slow growth, and possible learning difficulties, rather than birth defects. Very high radiation doses can be fatal for both the mother and the fetus.
Studies have also shown that radiation damage, including problems with cells and the development of cancer, can be passed down through generations in both males and females. The effects of radiation on fetal development are especially important for women's health because female fetuses' eggs are formed while they are still in the womb. Harmful effects on a mother carrying a female fetus could therefore affect her daughter and even her grandchildren, increasing their risks for ovarian cancer, infertility, and other reproductive problems.
Compensation for Downwinders
The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1990 set up a $100 million fund to pay compensation. It would pay $50,000 per person to fallout victims and up to $100,000 to uranium miners exposed to unsafe radiation levels. Downwinders could get compensation if they lived in certain counties of Nevada, Utah, and Arizona for at least two years between January 1951 and October 1958, or during July 1962. These were times when the U.S. conducted above-ground nuclear tests without warning. They also had to show a link between certain diseases and their radiation exposure. Miners' compensation covered workers in uranium mines in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, and Utah between January 1947 and December 1971.
Many widows and widowers of Navajo uranium miners faced special challenges in getting health care and compensation. These miners had very high rates of fatal lung cancer caused by radon exposure. In fact, the health effects of radon were first widely recognized because Mormon and Native American miners, who rarely smoked, had high rates of lung cancer. Modern mining practices now greatly reduce the danger from radon through proper ventilation.
One problem for Navajo widows and widowers seeking federal benefits was the requirement to document their marriages. Many were married in the 1930s and 1940s in tribal ceremonies that were not officially recorded. Language and cultural differences also created problems for Navajo downwinders. Many elderly Navajos do not speak English, so their children have to do the research and get a special certificate from a tribal law judge to prove their tribal marriage. It was also hard to get old medical and work records that the government required, especially since the government's and uranium companies' own records for Navajo miners were often incomplete and hard to find.
