Rep. Greg Stanton introduced an amendment to the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act to include justice for victims of radiation exposure in Mohave County, Arizona and Clark County, Nevada—a continuation of his work on the issue.
The area is home to many “Downwinders,” people who lived downwind of nuclear test sites or reactors and were exposed to the fallout of U.S. government nuclear tests from 1945 to 1962. Congress voted to extend the RECA program for two years in May 2022 without expanding the eligibility to downwinders in Mohave and Clark Counties. While Stanton supported the program extension, he encouraged Congress to do more for the radiation victims living in these areas who have been unjustifiably excluded from RECA compensation. [LINK]
“Downwinders and advocates in Arizona have been fighting for justice and recognition for many years, and their stories are a painful reminder of the long-term medical and financial impacts of radiation exposure,” Stanton said. “It’s past time we right this wrong.”
Stanton introduced the Downwinders Parity Act of 2021, which would update RECA to include all of Mohave and Clark counties as affected areas and instruct the Attorney General to submit a report to Congress outlining what efforts will be undertaken to educate and conduct outreach to those made newly eligible. The bill was advanced last year by the House Judiciary Committee with a bipartisan vote. [LINK]
In March 2021, at Stanton’s urging, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the impacts of radiation exposure for Downwinders––the first time in two decades that victims in the Southwest were given an opportunity to speak before a House committee on the urgent need for justice to their communities. [LINK] Stanton proposed a similar amendment to both the 2021 and 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.
The House will vote on full passage of the NDAA this week.
Background
The United States government conducted nearly 200 atmospheric weapons development tests as part of Cold War security from 1945 to 1962. These tests exposed thousands of Americans to cancer-causing ionized radiation from nuclear fallout.
When the injuries were discovered, Congress attempted to make amends on behalf of the nation by passing the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to establish a trust fund for partial restitution to individuals who have contracted certain cancers and other serious diseases that can be directly attributed to the radiation exposure from the nuclear weapons testing.
Unfortunately, that bill included serious boundary flaws that have prevented otherwise eligible Arizonans from receiving justice and the compensation to which they are entitled. Americans that reside in counties in close proximity to where the testing occurred are excluded from this program for no logical scientific reason, specifically residents in Mohave County, Arizona and Clark County, Nevada.
The serious effects of exposure to low doses of radiation can be unpredictable, but incredibly harmful. There’s a higher tendency among Downwinders to develop certain cancers including Leukemia, Multiple Myeloma, Lymphomas and many more. As a result, thousands have suffered from cancer, and far too many have died. Research from the National Cancer Institute shows that lower Mohave County and lower Clark County have higher rates of radiation exposure than other areas covered under RECA.