The world’s first detonation of a nuclear weapon took place on July 16, 1945, in the Jornada del Muerto desert southeast of Socorro, New Mexico. In the decades since the Trinity Test explosion, thousands of New Mexicans have been plagued by illness and cancers related to their over-exposure to radiation.
The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was passed in 1990 to provide payments to individuals who developed cancers and other serious diseases due to exposure to radiation for nuclear testing, but it wasn’t until last year that New Mexicans residents became eligible to receive compensation.
On the latest episode of the “Around the Roundhouse” podcast, Tina Cordova speaks with Santa Fe New Mexican state politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón to discuss her decades of work with the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium to fight for compensation and acknowledgment for New Mexico’s downwinders.
Cordova, who co-founded the organization with the late Fred Tyler in 2005, has made it her life’s work to advocate for New Mexicans who have suffered negative health effects due to radiation exposure from nuclear testing.
Since New Mexicans became eligible to receive claims under RECA last year, Cordova said about 4,000 people have applied for compensation and about 500 claims of $100,000 have been paid out. She said it is estimated that there could be 50,000 eligible claimants in the state.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico recently announced a bill that would expand RECA. The proposed measure would extend the deadline to apply for claims, broaden the locations for eligible claimants, increase the amount of compensation for each claimant from $100,000 to $150,000, and broaden the list of qualifying cancers.
Cordova shares her perspective on how the story of New Mexico’s downwinders has gained traction over the years and speaks on the work that is still ahead. She also talks about why she felt it took so long for New Mexicans to become eligible for compensation through RECA.
Visit trinitydownwinders.com for assistance on how to apply for RECA compensation.
Cordova will be involved in a couple of upcoming events related to the Trinity Test. At 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 19, she will be among the speakers at an interfaith remembrance of the Trinity Test with Archbishop John Wester at St. Michael’s High School in Santa Fe. At 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 25, the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium will hold its annual candlelight vigil at Tularosa Veterans Memorial Park to pay tribute to those who have died due to the negative impact of exposure to radiation.
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