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The production of the worlds first atomic bomb began under guidance of the US Army Corps of Engineers and nuclear physicist Robert Oppenheimer. It took 3 years to complete and held more than 20,000 tons of TNT weighing in at 214 tons. It was enclosed in a steel jug so that it would contain the TNT explosion should the experiment fail. -
A committee was formed to discuss how to proceed with the use of their new nuclear weaponry. It was decided that it would be used in wartimes in hopes of retaining superiority of nuclear weapons should international relations collapse. Most members of the committee felt it was important to keep the new creation a secret but knew it would only be a matter of time before other countries were capable of creating atomic weapons as well. -
The trinity bomb, a plutonium implosion device, was detonated at 5:30 AM 210 miles south of Los Alamos, New Mexico. This marked the worlds first ever successfully created atomic bomb marking the Atomic Age. The explosion surpassed the theories of the scientists involved in the work as it was more powerful than anticipated. -
The trinity test was considered top secret. Some lived as close as 50 miles to the detonation site and were given no instruction, warning or evacuation notices prior to and after the event for fear of raising suspicion and panic within the communities. The blast radius was 160 miles. -
Alarms were raised about a sudden spike in the increase of infant deaths amongst downwinders following the trinity test. The information was handed to radiation safety experts who worked in the US nuclear weapons program. Data regarding the health effects were not published due to government secrecy surrounding the test. It was later found to have a 57% increase by 1947 with a .0001% chance of this being due to natural causes. -
Downwinders obtained US Department of Energy documentation stating the details of radioactive pollution which ultimately confirmed the harm that had taken place on the communities from the atomic device tests. It was found that the detonation impacted 46 states including Canada and Mexico with radioactive fallout within 10 days. A lot of the data was largely concluded several years after the fact due to the governments initial lack of testing. -
The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was passed to allow partial restitution to those who suffered from radiation related illnesses as a result of the nuclear testing that was conducted. The coverage dates are January 1, 1942-December 31, 1971. The scope of coverage was broadened in 2000. Compensation varied but was between the ranges of 50k-100k dependent on severity of illness and geographic areas during the time of the explosion. -
The group was founded as a means of seeking justice, raising awareness and educating the public on the damage and health risks that stemmed from nuclear fallout. The name was given to describe the community of people who lived in the intermountain range between the Cascade and Rocky Mountains. Anyone who reported health related incidents as a result of nuclear fallout in that area are considered downwinders. -
The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act is amended and extended until 19 years after enactment of the act. The affected area eligibility is expanded. Made transporters, miners and core drillers who now suffered kidney related issues like nephritis after the blast eligible. -
In an interview Kent recalls the blast, the force of the bomb caused her to be blown from her bed onto the floor that morning. She was away at camp with 12 other individuals. She was excited to see it "snowing" in July and decided to play in it, later in life realizing that it was nuclear fallout. She was diagnosed with 4 different types of cancers throughout her life and is the only survivor of the camp group, all others died before the age of 40, she is 91. -
The National Cancer Institute released information regarding studies of the people living near the bomb site stating that as many as 1,000 individuals developed cancer from the nuclear fallout. Several hundred cancers, mainly thyroid cancer were extremely prevalent for 50+ years since the test was performed. It was found that the communities near the site received radiation doses up to 10,000 times higher than the safe exposure limits.