SALT LAKE CITY — Tuesday marked one year since the expiration of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, a statute that helped thousands who became sick from U.S. nuclear weapons testing during the 1950s and years after.
Downwinders, the term used by those affected by the radiation, and their advocates are calling on Utah’s congressional delegation for support in reinstating the act, also known as RECA.
“People are still getting sick. People are still dying and still waiting for justice,” said Mary Dickson.
Having lived in Utah her whole life, Dickson is a downwinder herself.
"I grew up in a neighborhood in Salt Lake City where we counted 54 people who had cancer, tumors and autoimmune disorders,” she said.
According to the Huntsman Cancer Institute, nuclear tests in Nevada in the 1950s and 60s exposed people across the region to radioactive materials carried by the wind. While the federal government considers Utahns in a select number of counties in central and southern Utah "downwinders," the National Cancer Institute says radioactive iodine traveled across the country.
Documentary shines light on health implications Utahns face due to nuclear tests:
“June 10 marks a year anniversary since RECA expired, which was very devastating, especially for all of the people it provided a lifeline for,” Dickson shared.
For decades, RECA provided compensation, recognition, and health screenings for victims and survivors of exposure to nuclear bomb testing. Dickson wants Utah's congressional delegation to take a stand.
“Our delegation remains non-committal about where they stand on it when our people, here in Utah, were some of the most heavily affected."
Downwinder advocates are pushing for RECA's reconciliation and expansion.
“Hundreds of thousands of cancers are caused by atomic fallout, so it’s time. It’s past time now for some years that RECA be expanded to cover far more of those who suffered those unwitting exposures,” explained Downwinders Inc. advocate Steve Erickson.
“We are asking for help for Congress to make right for what the government did to us," added Carmen Valdez, senior policy associate for Heal Utah. "We want to see it reauthorized and expanded,”
