Republishing MuckRock's Data and Journalism

MuckRock's story, "Were you or a family member affected by radioactive fallout and nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project or Cold War? We want to hear your story. ," is licensed under Creative Commons. That means that, if you follow our considerations, you are free to republish it on your website.
Guidelines

We publish certain stories, including this story, under a Creative Commons license and most code and data analysis scripts under an open source license. You are welcome and encouraged to reuse these under the terms of the given license, but please ensure that you understand any restrictions. For example, certain Creative Commons licenses allow reuse but only if you do not edit the underlying material.
Sample language: This story was originally published by the nonprofit newsroom MuckRock. It is republished under a Creative Commons (BY-ND 4.0) license.
Note that sometimes the text of a story may be under one license but a header image may be under a different, restricted license, such as when we use a wire photo.
We also appreciate a heads-up about the spread and impact of our work, so please let us know if you republish or cite it. You can reach out editorial team at news@muckrock.com
Get the Story

HTML

Click anywhere in the text box to select all, then press Ctrl-C (or Command-C on a Mac) to copy the code.
<p>For thousands of families who lived and worked near top-secret nuclear testing sites or uranium processing facilities in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, the road to getting an official apology from the federal government — and financial help for medical bills related to cancers and other diseases — is murky.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, Dec. 6, the expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act <a href="https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2023/dec/07/compensation-for-st-louis-victims-of-nuclear-waste-stripped-from-federal-defense-bill/">was stripped</a> from a congressional defense spending bill, though lawmakers have vowed to continue to champion it. The victims’ fund would have extended health care coverage and compensation to more uranium industry workers and so-called “downwinders” exposed to radiation in several new regions — Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana and Guam — and expanded coverage to remaining parts of Arizona, Nevada and Utah. </p>
<p>It would have also been particularly significant for the <a href="https://sourcenm.com/2023/08/11/biden-supports-expanding-compensation-to-radiation-victims-in-missouri-new-mexico/">Navajo Nation, one of the most affected tribal areas from the world’s first atomic bomb testing in 1945</a>.</p>
<p>The Congressional Budget Office <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24198813-congressional-budget-office-cost-estimate-oct-6-2023#document/p2/a2413638">estimated that expanding the compensation program</a> could cost $147.1 billion over 10 years, including $3.9 billion for St. Louis-area victims. After it was pulled from the Senate bill, the amendment’s co-sponsors — <a href="https://x.com/SenHawleyPress/status/1732841255019626584?s=20">Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri</a>; <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorLujan/status/1732779591385698438">Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-New Mexico</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeCrapo/status/1730705063625007298">Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho</a> — all vowed to fight and keep the compensation fund from expiring next year, and its potential expansion alive.</p>
<p>DocCloud embed</p>
<p>In late July, the <a href="https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2023/jul/27/senate-expand-radiation-exposure-compensation-act/">U.S. Senate, with bipartisan support, voted narrowly</a> to expand the program that compensates Americans who become ill because of exposure to radiation from the country’s development and testing of nuclear weapons and the buildup to the Cold War. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2023/aug/10/biden-supports-expanding-compensation-radiation-victims-missouri-new-mexico/">President Joe Biden signaled his support for the proposal</a> and <a href="https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2023/aug/08/energy-sec-missouri-visit/">Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm visited one of the contaminated sites during a visit to St. Louis</a>. Senators attached the legislation to the National Defense Authorization Act, the annual defense bill that still needed approval by the U.S. House of Representatives.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2023/aug/16/radiation-exposure-compensation-act-expansion-callout/republish/">Republish this story.</a></p>
<p>Years of attempts by New Mexico legislators to extend and expand the program, which is set to run out of funding in 2024, had previously failed. But “Oppenheimer,” the new film about the development of the nuclear bomb, brought renewed attention to those impacted. And the latest proposed expansion comes in response to <a href="https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2023/jul/12/st-louis-landfill-toxic-superfund/">“Atomic Fallout,” an investigation by The Missouri Independent, MuckRock and The Associated Press</a>, which found that, since the late 1940s, private companies and the federal government repeatedly downplayed the potential health risks of contamination in the St. Louis region. In internal memos, they wrote off health risks from exposed nuclear waste leaching into groundwater and neighborhood creeks as “slight,” “minimal” or “low-risk.”</p>
<p>The issue has been covered extensively by journalists over the years but the trove of previously-</p>
<p>For thousands of families who lived and worked near top-secret nuclear testing sites or uranium processing facilities in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, the road to getting an official apology from the federal government — and financial help for medical bills related to cancers and other diseases — is murky.<br />On Wednesday, Dec. 6, the expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was stripped from a congressional defense spending bill, though lawmakers have vowed to continue to champion it. The victims’ fund would have extended health care coverage and compensation to more uranium industry workers and so-called “downwinders” exposed to radiation in several new regions — Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana and Guam — and expanded coverage to remaining parts of Arizona, Nevada and Utah. <br />It would have also been particularly significant for the Navajo Nation, one of the most affected tribal areas from the world’s first atomic bomb testing in 1945.<br />The Congressional Budget Office estimated that expanding the compensation program could cost $147.1 billion over 10 years, including $3.9 billion for St. Louis-area victims. After it was pulled from the Senate bill, the amendment’s co-sponsors — Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri; Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-New Mexico, and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho — all vowed to fight and keep the compensation fund from expiring next year, and its potential expansion alive.<br />DocCloud embed<br />In late July, the U.S. Senate, with bipartisan support, voted narrowly to expand the program that compensates Americans who become ill because of exposure to radiation from the country’s development and testing of nuclear weapons and the buildup to the Cold War. <br />President Joe Biden signaled his support for the proposal and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm visited one of the contaminated sites during a visit to St. Louis. Senators attached the legislation to the National Defense Authorization Act, the annual defense bill that still needed approval by the U.S. House of Representatives.<br />Republish this story.</p>
<p><br />Years of attempts by New Mexico legislators to extend and expand the program, which is set to run out of funding in 2024, had previously failed. But “Oppenheimer,” the new film about the development of the nuclear bomb, brought renewed attention to those impacted. And the latest proposed expansion comes in response to “Atomic Fallout,” an investigation by The Missouri Independent, MuckRock and The Associated Press, which found that, since the late 1940s, private companies and the federal government repeatedly downplayed the potential health risks of contamination in the St. Louis region. In internal memos, they wrote off health risks from exposed nuclear waste leaching into groundwater and neighborhood creeks as “slight,” “minimal” or “low-risk.”<br />The issue has been covered extensively by journalists over the years but the trove of previously-unreleased documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act laid bare decades of failure that allowed radioactive waste created during the 1940s to linger in the St. Louis region 80 years later. (Read the documents and how journalists used them.)<br />The reaction from federal and Missouri state lawmakers was swift. Within days, Sen. Hawley, R-Missouri, who introduced the amendment to the Defense bill, and Rep. Cori Bush, D-Missouri, pledged action, calling the investigation “devastating” and decrying the federal government’s “negligence,” and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said his office would “do everything in our power to hold the federal government accountable.”<br />The proposed expansion — adding five additional states and the territory of Guam and significantly expanding regions of three other states — would have resulted in at least tens of thousands of additional claimants.<br />Since the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Program began more than 20 years ago, in April 1992, more than 54,000 claims have been filed. Of those more than 40,000 claims, or about 75%, have been approved and roughly $2.6 billion has been paid out, as of the end of 2022. Claims for “downwinders” and uranium workers typically range from $50,000 to $100,000. The Department of Justice’s civil division, which oversees the program, says that, of the denials, just 16 claimants have appealed their determinations in federal district court.<br />Definitively proving that exposure to nuclear waste and radiation caused cancers and other diseases is difficult. But the federal program doesn’t require claimants prove causation. They only have to show that they or a relative had a qualifying disease after working or living in certain locations during specific time frames. In Missouri, for example, the affected areas in the proposed amendment include 20 ZIP codes and residents have to show they lived there for at least two years, from 1949 onward.<br />A federal study released in 2019 of one of the most heavily impacted sites, Coldwater Creek in North St. Louis County, found elevated rates of breast, colon, prostate, kidney and bladder cancers as well as leukemia in the area. Childhood brain and nervous system cancer rates are also higher.<br />We want to hear from those who were impacted by fallout from nuclear development and testing, and who could be impacted by RECA expansion. Fill out the form below and a journalist may reach out to you to get more information.</p>
<p>documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act laid bare decades of failure that allowed radioactive waste created during the 1940s to linger in the St. Louis region 80 years later. (<a href="https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2023/jul/19/atomic-fallout-methodology/">Read the documents and how journalists used them</a>.)</p>
<p>The reaction from federal and Missouri state lawmakers was swift. Within days, Sen. Hawley, R-Missouri, who introduced the amendment to the Defense bill, and Rep. Cori Bush, D-Missouri, pledged action, calling the investigation “devastating” and decrying the federal government’s “negligence,” and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said his <a href="https://twitter.com/AGAndrewBailey/status/1679503556225773570">office would “do everything in our power to hold the federal government accountable.”</a></p>
<p>The proposed expansion — adding five additional states and the territory of Guam and significantly expanding regions of three other states — would have resulted in at least tens of thousands of additional claimants.</p>
<p>Since the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-03/reca_fy_2024_pb_narrative_3.1.23_omb_cleared.pdf">Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Program began more than 20 years ago</a>, in April 1992, more than 54,000 claims have been filed. Of those more than 40,000 claims, or about 75%, have been approved and roughly $2.6 billion has been paid out, as of the end of 2022. Claims for “downwinders” and uranium workers typically range from $50,000 to $100,000. The Department of Justice’s civil division, which oversees the program, says that, of the denials, just 16 claimants have appealed their determinations in federal district court.</p>
<p>Definitively proving that exposure to nuclear waste and radiation caused cancers and other diseases is difficult. But the federal program doesn’t require claimants prove causation. They only have to show that they or a relative had a qualifying disease after working or living in certain locations during specific time frames. In Missouri, for example, the affected areas in the proposed amendment include 20 ZIP codes and residents have to show they lived there for at least two years, from 1949 onward.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/coldwater_creek/resources.html">federal study released in 2019 of one of the most heavily impacted sites, Coldwater Creek in North St. Louis County</a>, found elevated rates of breast, colon, prostate, kidney and bladder cancers as well as leukemia in the area. Childhood brain and nervous system cancer rates are also higher.</p>
<p>We want to hear from those who were impacted by fallout from nuclear development and testing, and who could be impacted by RECA expansion. Fill out the form below and a journalist may reach out to you to get more information.</p>

<script src="https://static.airtable.com/js/embed/embed_snippet_v1.js"></script><iframe class="airtable-embed airtable-dynamic-height" src="https://airtable.com/embed/apptaIDWblrBf6erK/shrUShID7auXb37am?backgroundColor=cyanDusty" frameborder="0" onmousewheel="" width="100%" height="2147" style="background: transparent; border: 1px solid #ccc;"></iframe>

<article>
<p><em>Photo Credit: State Historical Society of Missouri, Kay Drey Mallinckrodt Collection, 1943-2006.</em></p>
</article>
<aside></aside>
                                    </form>
                                </div>
</article>

        </div>
        
<footer class="website-footer">
    <div class="newsletter-widget">
    <div class="call-to-action">
        <p class="label"><strong>Newsletter</strong></p>
        <p class="cta">Want the latest investigative and FOIA news?</p>
    </div>
    <form class="oneline-form" method="post" action="/newsletter-post/?next=/news/archives/2023/aug/16/radiation-exposure-compensation-act-expansion-callout/republish/" onsubmit="ga('send', 'event', 'Newsletter', 'Subscription', window.location.pathname)">
        <input type="hidden" name="csrfmiddlewaretoken" value="gM6jYMrg9sJ0yfB3Q54FXNR9AZngMPaC89y5oI3548Gj53oBdnIV2uvUqIKvPqRv">
        <input type="hidden" name="list" value="20aa4a931d" id="id_list">
        <div class="field">
            <input type="email" name="email" placeholder="email address" required id="id_email">
            <button class="basic blue button" type="submit">
                <svg width="16px" height="16px" viewBox="0 0 16 16" class="email icon">
    <title>Email</title>
    <desc>Icon resembling an envelope.</desc>
    <path d="M14,4 L14,12 L2,12 L2,4 L8,10 L14,4 Z M0,2 L16,2 L16,14 L0,14 L0,2 Z M4,4 L12,4 L8,8 L4,4 Z"></path>
</svg>

        	    <span class="label">Subscribe</span>
            </button>
        </div>
        
    </form>
</div>

    <div class="footer">
        <div class="brand">
            <a href="/" class="logo">
                <svg viewBox="0 0 70 70" height="30px" width="30px" id="muckrock-logo">
                    <title>MuckRock Logo</title>
                    <desc>The MuckRock logo depicts an electronic document with an antennae inscribed inside a circle.</desc>
                    <path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M34.994,0.169 C54.165,0.169 69.709,15.711 69.709,34.885 C69.709,54.059 54.165,69.602 34.994,69.602 C15.82,69.602 0.276,54.06 0.276,34.886 C0.276,15.712 15.82,0.169 34.994,0.169 L34.994,0.169 L34.994,0.169 Z M24.281,14.448 L24.281,23.19 C21.724,23.606 19.166,24.023 16.611,24.441 L16.611,39.865 L16.611,55.278 C21.039,56.006 25.467,56.733 29.895,57.46 C34.32,58.189 38.751,58.919 43.181,59.649 L43.181,39.888 L43.181,20.118 C38.751,20.838 34.32,21.556 29.895,22.276 L27.598,22.649 L27.598,17.762 L47.617,14.876 L47.617,30.755 L47.617,36.695 C46.178,37.33 45.168,38.772 45.168,40.45 C45.168,42.714 47.005,44.552 49.273,44.552 C51.54,44.552 53.377,42.714 53.377,40.45 C53.377,38.772 52.371,37.33 50.932,36.695 L50.932,10.12 L24.281,14.448 L24.281,14.448 Z M23.006,44.322 L23.006,46.928 C25.301,47.094 27.597,47.257 29.894,47.419 C32.187,47.583 34.485,47.745 36.784,47.91 L36.784,44.947 C34.485,44.842 32.188,44.734 29.894,44.633 C27.598,44.531 25.301,44.423 23.006,44.322 L23.006,44.322 L23.006,44.322 Z M23.006,32.806 L23.006,35.415 C25.301,35.315 27.597,35.214 29.894,35.115 C32.187,35.017 34.485,34.921 36.784,34.821 L36.784,31.857 C34.485,32.015 32.188,32.171 29.894,32.328 C27.598,32.486 25.301,32.648 23.006,32.806 L23.006,32.806 L23.006,32.806 Z M23.006,38.562 L23.006,41.175 C25.301,41.206 27.597,41.239 29.894,41.27 C32.187,41.302 34.485,41.336 36.784,41.37 L36.784,38.401 C34.485,38.429 32.188,38.451 29.894,38.48 C27.598,38.507 25.301,38.536 23.006,38.562 L23.006,38.562 L23.006,38.562 Z M19.915,27.422 L19.915,39.87 L19.915,52.31 C23.241,52.733 26.571,53.165 29.895,53.592 C33.218,54.018 36.547,54.445 39.873,54.878 L39.873,39.889 L39.873,24.894 C36.548,25.314 33.219,25.736 29.895,26.156 C26.57,26.578 23.24,27.002 19.915,27.422 L19.915,27.422 L19.915,27.422 Z"></path>
                </svg>
            </a>
            <p>MuckRock is a non-profit collaborative news site that gives you the tools to keep our government transparent and accountable.</p>
            <p><a class="blue button" href="/donate/">Make a Donation</a></p>
            <p class="copyright">© 2010–2024 Muckrock</p>
        </div>
        <div class="links">
            <div class="link-group sitemap">
                <dfn>Sections</dfn>
                <ul>
                    <li><a href="/news/">News</a></li>
                    <li><a href="/project/list/">Projects</a></li>
                    <li><a href="/foi/list/">Requests</a></li>
                    <li><a href="/agency/">Agencies</a></li>
                    <li><a href="/place/list/">Jurisdictions</a></li>
                    
                    <li><a href="/newsletters/">Newsletters</a></li>
                </ul>
            </div>
            <div class="link-group about">
                <dfn>About</dfn>
                <ul>
                    <li><a href="/about/">About Us</a></li>
                    <li><a href="/staff/">Staff</a></li>
                    <li><a href="/faq/">FAQ</a></li>
                    <li><a href="/news/editorial-policy/">Editorial Policy</a></li>
                    <li><a href="/api/">API</a></li>
                    <li><a href="/privacy-policy/">Privacy Policy</a></li>
                    <li><a href="/tos/">Terms of Service</a></li>
                    <li><a href="/financial/">Financials</a></li>
                </ul>
            </div>
            <div class="link-group feeds">
                <dfn>Feeds</dfn>
                <ul>
                    <li><a href="/news/feeds/">Latest Reporting</a></li>
                    <li><a href="/questions/feed/">Latest Questions</a></li>
                    <li><a href="/foi/feeds/submitted/">Recently Filed Requests</a></li>
                    <li><a href="/foi/feeds/completed/">Recently Completed Requests</a></li>
                </ul>
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
</footer>

      </div>
    
    <!-- SCRIPTS -->
    <script>
      
		</script>
    <script src="https://js.stripe.com/v3/"></script>
    
    
    <script src="https://cdn.muckrock.com/CACHE/js/output.72208e30116f.js"></script>
    
    
    <!-- END SCRIPTS -->
    
    
    
      <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->
      <noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-WFBL4F2"
      height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>
      <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->
    
  </body>
</html>