The Untold Story of Atomic Veterans

If you ask almost anyone about nuclear bombs they most likely think of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. These heinous acts destroyed the two cities, killed over 100,000 people, and have caused severe defects on the survivors due to being exposed to the massive amounts of radiation (1). During the Cold War, more research was conducted to understand the effects of being exposed to a nuclear blast and the subsequent radiation. In the 1950s, members of the Royal Air Force were essentially tricked into being exposed to nuclear blasts. Over 22,000 atomic veterans were exposed to numerous nuclear tests, and a majority of these men eventually died from various cancers. Less than 3,000 of these atomic veterans are alive today, and themselves and their families are experiencing the backlash of nuclear radiation exposure. The living atomic veterans have developed skin cancer, issues with their skeletal system, such as bone spurs, and a few men believe exposure to the radiation has made them infertile. Decreased sperm counts, and possible infertility, has also been observed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors (1). The survivor’s families, for those men who could have children, are also being affected. One man claims 16 out of his 21 descendants, children and grandchildren, have birth defects and other health problems associated with his exposure to nuclear radiation. Another man claims his daughter died at the age of 13 of a cancer so rare that it has no name. He claims she developed a hump on her back and that she started growing hair all over her body that required her to be shaved twice a day. He also claims that today, at age 81, he feels as if the skeleton is “crumbling” within him (2). The UK Ministry of Defence has claimed that there is “no evidence to link these tests to ill heath” (3). Some veterans have recently received compensation, however, a majority of the men have not. For some, there is no amount of money that can compensate for what they have gone through, and have to live with, as a consequence of these tests.

Video on Atomic Veterans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y__dxTaGEp0&t=0s&index=2&list=LLNg7GRiZR30rEVieRuFW85A

Other References:
1. Ohkita, T. (1975). Review of Thirty Years Study of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors. Journal of Radiation Research. 16, 49-66.
2. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-43075718
3. https://www.forces.net/news/veteran-who-saw-atomic-bomb-tests-finally-receives-mod-compensation