Tularosa Downwinders plan peaceful demonstration at Trinity Site
TULAROSA — The Tularosa Basin Downwinders, a local advocacy organization, will be holding their annual peaceful demonstration at the Tularosa and Stallion Range gates as visitors make their way into the Trinity Site on April 1.
On July 16, 1945 at precisely 5:29:45 a.m. Mountain War Time, the world’s first atomic bomb was tested at the Trinity Site north of Alamogordo as part of the Manhattan Project. According to White Sands Missile Range, the atomic bomb released 19 kilotons of power, instantly vaporizing the tower it was on and turning the surrounding asphalt and sand into green glass. The shock of the bomb broke windows 120 miles away and was felt by many as far away as 160 miles. Success of the Trinity test meant an atomic bomb using plutonium could be used by the United States military in Japan during World War II.
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The Tularosa Basin Downwinders believe the Trinity test changed the gene pools of residents in surrounding communities, leaving a cluster of cancer and illness in the descendants of those who witnessed the atomic bomb. Since its formation 12 years ago, the group has been fighting for inclusion in the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.
"The reason we believe its so important to do this is to continue to bring attention to the fact that the test was maybe the biggest science experiment ever," said co-founder Tina Cordova. "There's plenty out there about the science and industry, but there's this whole part of history that's left out and that's the story of the Downwinders."
The Trinity Site is only open to the public twice each year, on both the first Saturday in April and October. Those wishing to visit the site line up in a caravan outside Tularosa High School, 1305 Eight St., in Tularosa, and enter the site at 8 a.m. The event is free and no reservations are required. After the gates are open, the public can enter from the Tularosa Gate, west of Tularosa High School, or the Stallion Range Gate, east of San Antonio on U.S. Highway 380.
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As part of their effort to raise awareness, the Tularosa Basin Downwinders hold signs informing members of the caravan about their cause. Anyone interested in joining the Downwinders is asked to meet them at the Tularosa Gate at 7:30 a.m. or the Stallion Range Gate at 9 a.m. and to bring their own water, chair and poster. Downwinders at the Tularosa Gate will be there for one hour and Downwinders at the Stallion Gate will be there for three hours.
"We hope to continue to bring attention to the fact that yes, this was monumental science but people were harmed in the process and they've been left out of the history for all of these years," Cordova said.
Part of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders continued fight is to gain inclusion under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. In July 2015, just 15 days before the Trinity Site's 70th anniversary, Sen. Tom Udall visited with the Downwinders and heard their endless stories of disease and death in their communities. Since that meeting, Udall has continued to fight to get New Mexico included in the Radiation Compensation Exposure Act and to provide medical benefits and other compensation to the post-1971 uranium miners and to the people affected by testing in New Mexico, the Pacific islands and throughout the West who are experiencing health problems due to radiation exposure.
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The Downwinders began collecting health surveys from residents in Tularosa and Socorro, the two communities closest to the Trinity Site. In February, the Downwinders released their findings in a Health Impact Assessment Report.
"The Health Impact Assessment was a qualitative study that incorporated what the communities had to say to us about what's taken place for them after being overexposed to radiation," Cordova said. "It revealed exactly what we expected it to, that there's a lack of access to health care, which is very important when you're talking about people with cancer. When there's a lack of access to health, there's a later diagnosis when things are much more serious."
She said the Health Impact Assessment also touched on economic impact and generational trauma that people in these communities have been dealt.
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"The last thing we took a look at was the generational trauma," Cordova said. "What happened to people through the years because they didn't have access to health care and they've had these devastating cancers. There's a trauma associated with that, people start thinking not if they're going to get cancer but when, that takes a heavy toll on people."
The Health Impact Assessment Report can be viewed online at www.trinitydownwinders.com/health-impact-assessment. Health surveys or copies of the assessment report will be available at the demonstrations.
For more information on the Tularosa Basin Downwinders, visit their website at www.trinitydownwinders.com or email Tina Cordova at tcordova@queston.net.
