Hidden in the quiet struggle of many communities across the United States lies an unsettling truth: Devastating health impacts of radiation exposure from nuclear weapons testing and uranium mining. This silent crisis has impacted the lives of veterans, Indigenous communities, and downwinders alike. The invisible damage from radiation has caused myriad severe health problems, leaving generations of families struggling under the weight of medical bills, fear, and suffering.
Updates to the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), now before Congress, seek to address this issue. These bills promise acknowledgment, respect, and rectification of a deep-seated historical wrong. But more than that, they expand access for compensation to victims of radiation exposure and close unnecessary gaps in coverage and support.