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What Is a Downwinder?

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Historic photo of military tests of nuclear devices at the federal Navada Test Site

Takeaways

  • People in downwind areas exposed to nuclear fallout may face higher cancer risks and qualify for screenings or compensation.
  • Huntsman Cancer Institute provides trusted information and resources for Downwinders and their families.

Impact: Huntsman Cancer Institute advances research on cancer, improving early detection, treatment options, and support.

A Downwinder is a person who was likely exposed to radiation from the testing of nuclear weapons in the United States. These open-air tests occurred in the 1940s at the Trinity Test Site in New Mexico and at the federal Nevada Test Site from the early 1950s to the early 1960s.

The radiation released by these tests is called fallout. Winds carried fallout hundreds of miles away from test sites. People living in downwind areas at the time of testing were exposed to varying levels of fallout. Exposure to this radioactive fallout may cause cancer.

What areas are considered downwind?

Currently, the federal government considers these states and counties part of the downwind area:

  • Utah
  • Idaho
  • New Mexico
  • Arizona counties: Apache, Coconino, Gila, Mohave, Navajo, and Yavapai
  • Nevada counties: Eureka, Lander, Lincoln, Nye, White Pine, and parts of Clark County

When were people exposed to fallout?

Currently, the federal government considers these timeframes as the periods of time people may have been exposed to fallout:  

  • In New Mexico for one year between September 24, 1944, and November 6, 1962.
  • In any affected area for one year between January 21, 1951, and November 6, 1962.
  • In any affected area for the entire period from June 30 to July 31, 1962.

What types of cancers can Downwinders develop?

Currently, the federal government considers these types of primary cancer to be related to radioactive fallout:

What if I am a Downwinder?

If you are a Downwinder, you may be eligible for cancer screenings and compensation.

Cancer Screenings for Downwinders

The National Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program (RESEP) funds health clinics in Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. RESEP clinics provide free cancer and medical screenings to Downwinders and to those who were exposed to radioactive materials used to create nuclear weapons. RESEP clinics may also offer other services, including help with compensation claims.  

Find a .

Compensation for Downwinders

If you are a Downwinder and have cancer, or if you have family who have died who were Downwinders and had cancer, you may be eligible for compensation from the federal government through the (RECA).

RECA provides Downwinders with cancer a one-time, lump sum payment of $100,000. 

Survivors of Downwinders can apply for shares of this lump sum payment.

To apply for compensation, fill out the Downwinder application form on the . may also offer help filing for compensation.

Compensation claims must be filed by December 31, 2027.

For more information, visit the , or contact the RECA Program:

U.S. Department of Justice
Radiation Exposure Compensation Program
P.O. Box 146
Ben Franklin Station
Washington, DC 20044-0146
800-729-7327 (website states that the phone line is temporarily unavailable)
civil.reca@usdoj.gov

Resources

  • Talk with a cancer information specialist in Huntsman Cancer Institute鈥檚 Cancer Learning Center about the risks of radiation or about cancer screenings, treatments, and resources. Call 888-424-2100, text 801-528-1112, email cancerinfo@hci.utah.edu, or Live Chat.
  • Learn the history of from the Marriott Library.
  • Read about the from the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
  • Get from the National Cancer Institute.

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