PRESCOTT, AZ – Representative Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) issued the following statement on the 10th Anniversary of the National Day of Remembrance for Downwinders.
Today’s anniversary is an important reminder that Arizonans exposed to radiation and cancer-causing carcinogens and who developed cancer or other related illnesses during our nation’s Cold War-era nuclear weapons testing deserve restitution for their suffering.
Unfortunately, when Congress previously passed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) in 1990 to make it possible for victims of illnesses resulting from atmospheric nuclear testing to file claims with the United States Department of Justice, it failed to properly define the boundaries of impacted populations.
Americans that reside in counties in close proximity to where the testing occurred are excluded from this program for no logical scientific reason, including people that reside in Mohave County, Arizona and Clark County, Nevada.
RECA is set to expire on July 7, 2022 and Congress has a moral responsibility to reauthorize RECA and update it by including both Mohave and Clark counties as affected areas,” concluded Congressman Gosar.
Background
The National Day of Remembrance for Downwinders, January 27, 2022, marks the anniversary of the first atmospheric nuclear test at the Nevada Proving Ground test site, approximately 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada.
The United States government conducted nearly 200 atmospheric weapons development tests as part of Cold War security from 1945 to 1962—an era when other nations also engaged in nuclear weapons testing and proliferation. These tests exposed thousands of Americans to cancer-causing ionized radiation from nuclear fallout.
The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act is a federally funded program that provides partial restitution to those living in certain areas affected by the nuclear weapons testing from 1945 to 1962. Those affected, referred to as downwinders, are known to have developed cancer following the nearby above-ground atomic weapons testing.
