Knowing Better: Experts, the Public, and Above-Ground Nuclear Testing in Nevada

Although the era of above-ground nuclear weapons testing has ended, its history and legacy remain significant in American life. The Manhattan Project opened the door to atomic weapons, which became increasingly destructive and sophisticated in the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the 1950s and early 1960s, the United States conducted one hundred above-ground nuclear tests at the Nevada Test Site. In the subsequent decades, residents of regions downwind of the test site, known as "Downwinders," who were exposed to radioactive fallout, have claimed that their incidences of cancer, birth defects, and other ailments were caused by their exposure to fallout and the irresponsible federal oversight of nuclear testing. The federal government created aid policies, such as the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, and the American public has continued to distrust nuclear power. In order to evaluate past practices, to assess any harms and their due compensation, and to guide future standards, it is necessary to analyze the conduct of the experts who carried out above-ground nuclear testing in Nevada. This paper considers Downwinders' allegations alongside contemporary standards of radiation safety and expert consultations. It argues that testing officials practiced responsible conduct and that Downwinders did not experience sufficient radioactive exposure to cause the alleged harms.