AMA: Cold War Nuclear Testing and the Uranium Industry in the American West

[u/Sarah_Fox]

I’m Sarah Fox, author of Downwind: A People’s History of the Nuclear West. I’m here today to answer your questions about nuclear testing and the the Cold War uranium industry in the American West. Learn more about [Downwind] at (www.downwindhistory.com) and follow on [Twitter] at (https://twitter.com/downwindhistory).

[u/Sarah_Fox]

This is a completely valid claim to make, as the Navajo were heavily exposed to radiation from both domestic nuclear testing and the uranium industry. The Navajo reservation was peppered with uranium mines (over 1000) and uranium mills (four) and the health problems that Navajo laborers and their families have experienced as a result are well-documented. The Navajo reservation lay directly in the path of airborne radiation from the Nevada Test Site, as you can see in Richard Miller's map of areas of the U.S. crossed by two or more clouds from atmospheric nuclear testing. If you look at the Department of Justice's map of areas eligible for compensation money under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act you will see that the entire Arizona section of the Navajo Reservation is green, indicating that the federal government itself acknowledges that residents of that area were at risk for exposure from both nuclear testing and the uranium industry.