New Mexico Downwinders call for action on Radiation Exposure Compensation Act

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Federal lawmakers and New Mexico downwinders slammed the stifled progress of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act on Tuesday arguing that families are still suffering. A federal law to apologize and compensate victims of radiation exposure is at a standstill in the United States Senate.

Victims of the 1945 Trinity Bomb fallout said it still affected their families. A Carrizozo native’s family was just 38 miles away from the bomb. “My mom survived skin cancer and died from bone cancer. My brother died of stomach cancer. One of my sisters that was alive survived thyroid cancer, and last week we found out she has breast cancer,” said Paul Pino.

The RECA Act was renewed in March to cover New Mexico uranium miners but lawmakers are still pushing to expand payment to downwinders. “The United States of America knows they should be paying that bill. That’s why they passed the first radiation compensation act to begin with. They knew it was the right thing. It was the right thing. It was the right thing to then, what was wrong, was to exclude New Mexico,” said Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández.

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