From 1951 to 1992, the United States detonated 928 large-scale nuclear weapons in Nevada. Detonating these weapons near the ocean had been recommended, testing near the ocean would have been “safer” because it would not have contaminated people downwind of the explosions.
However, Nevada was selected as the nuclear weapons test site because it was cheaper and because it was determined that the fallout would primarily impact a “low-use” segment of the population. These communities became known as “downwinders.”
The long term effects of this radiation contamination are still felt today. The Nevada testing site remains highly contaminated, having released about 20 times the amount of radiation as the Chernobyl nuclear accident.
Cancer rates in the affected communities soared through the 1970s. The Atomic Heritage Foundation documents that “Thyroid cancers, especially in young children, spiked in areas which had never experienced childhood cancers.”
This documentary narrated by Martin Sheen tells the stories of “downwinders” who suffer from the legacy of contamination, poison, and chronic illness from US nuclear weapons testing. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has moved its Doomsday Clock to 90 seconds to midnight, indicating a moment of historic danger.
Mark Shapiro, the film’s director, will join us for a Q and A after the screening. The film will be presented at:
West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church,
20401 Hilliard Blvd, Rocky River,
Dec. 14 at 7 PM.
View Facebook Page for updates.
