Nuclear Testing is Safe? Utahns have heard this story before.

We've Seen This Story Before

Utahns Worry About the Restart of Nuclear Weapons Testing in Nevada

In October of 2025, the Trump administration announced its intent to resume nuclear weapon testing. If you are wondering what this means, you are not alone. Nuclear weapon testing is almost exactly what it sounds like: detonating nuclear missiles/bombs to see how they operate. This could be in the atmosphere or underground. Physical nuclear testing is something that the U.S. stopped decades ago in the 1990s due to the dangers and destruction it caused. However, the country has since adopted virtual testing on computer systems.

So, why would we start again?

Some nuclear weapons advocates and federal leaders argue that because Russia and China are advancing their own nuclear programs, America needs to keep up. They posit that we need to test our nuclear weapons in order to make sure that they are safe and reliable, and to stay on an “equal level” with other countries

The U.S. arsenal has already been proven reliable through decades of testing and is currently maintained through advanced science, not explosions that release radioactive materials, while restarting tests would only reignite global escalation, not improve security.

For over 30 years, the Stockpile Stewardship Program has used supercomputers and subcritical testing to ensure weapon reliability, whereas explosive testing is the method that historically caused real harm to Utah’s downwind communities.

Utah’s downwinders were once told nuclear testing was safe, yet many later suffered cancers and radiation-related illnesses, clear evidence that explosive testing carries risks that cannot be contained or undone.

The people who are most concerned with this announcement are everyday Utahns who have already lived through the consequences of nuclear testing. In places like St. George and other communities on the western side of America, there are people called “Downwinders”. These families lived downwind from the Nevada testing site: where the government conducted 928 atmospheric nuclear tests. These communities were told that the radioactive fallout drifting over their towns was completely safe. They brushed the “dust” off of their cars. Children played in the grass. Years later, after years of toxic exposure, these same communities watched friends, family members, and loved ones contract and die from cancer at heartbreaking rates. Nuclear testing was never safe to begin with.

A Closer Look At The Issue

The impact was not contained to isolated areas in the southwest. Nuclear weapons testing from the 1940s through 1990s affected nearly every state in the nation as well as Mexico and Canada. The radioactive particles that were released into the atmosphere during the tests traveled with the wind. It settled on farms, into watersheds, and the bodies of communities who had no idea they were breathing in something deadly.

Today, the Trump administration says that if the testing happens, it will be done underground (which still vents into the atmosphere). Moreover, that promise probably doesn’t mean much: especially when scientists say that the Nevada Testing site isn’t ready to conduct tests again.

There are new concerns too: from the potential damage underground explosions could do to the environment, to shaking buildings in Las Vegas, which has been expanding for decades. 

 

Thanks to impacted communities fighting their government for recognition and acknowledgment, there is now a program called the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). This program has been helping victims of past nuclear testing acquire compensation for their exposure-induced illnesses since 1990. RECA was expanded this past summer to all of Utah and previously excluded communities for the first time.

 

Unfortunately, RECA is set to expire in 2027, right when the nation might be setting up a whole new generation of Downwinders should we choose to re-commence nuclear weapons testing at the expense of exposed communities.

Environmental And Health Impacts

When the government conducted nuclear tests from the mid 1900s to late 1900s, radioactive particles didn’t just disappear into the atmosphere. They drifted hundreds of miles away and deposited themselves onto the farms, water sources, and communities in the American west. People lived their lives like normal, and eventually became known as Downwinders because they resided downwind from the initial explosions. One of the most prominent places known for its Downwinders is St. George, Utah, where current residents still remember the devastation caused by radiation.


The health impacts showed up gradually, but relentlessly in Downwinder communities. Cancer rates skyrocketed. People who had been living healthy their whole lives suddenly developed aggressive forms of leukemia, thyroid cancer, and other radiation-related diseases. Even young children got sick. What made the nightmare worse was that residents had no idea what the cause was.


It took years for the truth to unfold when, in 1900 (decades after the first tests), the U.S. government finally acknowledged the connection between atmospheric nuclear testing and Downwinder communities. By then, countless families had lost loved ones, and many more were living with cancers that would stay with them for life. Today, women are twice as likely as men to develop radiation cancers in Utah, with children more susceptible to health impacts than adults. Additionally, the effects of radiation can be passed down through generations. This invisible enemy that once settled over our communities continues to claim victims today.

HEAL Utah's Solutions

The good news is that we do not need to resume nuclear testing to continue to have reliable nuclear weapons. Scientists are currently using computer systems capable of simulating destinations. In fact, they have been doing this for decades without coming close to detonating a single bomb. These computers are powerful enough to simulate every detail of a nuclear bomb explosion. Experts agree on their reliability. There is simply no reason to go back to physical explosion tests with such technology. Why would we want to put more people at risk and create a new generation of Downwinders? 

What is needed now more than ever is justice for the people who have already suffered. RECA was passed in 1990 to provide these one-time compensations to Downwinders after proof of presence at the test sites, mines, or other affected areas.

Although it was a great start, many areas were excluded from benefits. In fact, only recently has RECA expanded to include all of Utah on July 4th -a massive victory for Utahns and HEAL. Unfortunately, RECA is set to expire in 2027. This means countless Downwinders will be left with no access to the compensation they desperately need. All this while the administration talks about creating new victims.

 

This is where advocacy matters most. At HEAL Utah, we stand with downwinders and advocate for their access to resources while also pushing to keep RECA alive and expanded. We are also advocating against any resume of nuclear testing because we have seen the truth about the effects on the community. HEAL knows that there are safer alternatives. We know computer simulation is a far better option. We also know that the government has a responsibility to care for the people that it has already harmed before it harms more. The question now is whether the Trump administration will listen to science, learn from history, and choose the path that protects people and the planet, instead of putting them in danger all over again.

The Other Side of Nuclear - Utah’s Risky Nuclear Energy Gamble

While Downwinders are still fighting to prevent the return of nuclear weapons testing, Utah’s decisionmakers are steering taxpayer dollars toward a risky nuclear gamble. Through Operation Gigawatt, lawmakers pushed nuclear energy legislation during the 2025 legislative session that funneled thousands of taxpayer dollars into untested nuclear projects, positioning them as a quick fix for Utah’s energy future. Proposed reactor sites have already been floated in Brigham City, Eagle Mountain, Milford in Beaver County, Salt Lake County, and other communities; locations chosen before meaningful public input or environmental review. Each proposed location comes with the same unresolved uncertainties, high costs, and long-term risks these projects have demonstrated for decades throughout the country.

Utah residents are being asked to shoulder the financial burden and potential health and environmental consequences of an industry with a long record of cost overruns, delays, and unresolved waste issues.

Instead of doubling down on risky nuclear development, the state should prioritize safer, faster, and more affordable clean-energy solutions, ones that won’t leave Utahns paying the price for decades to come.

 

Our supporters are a huge part of our work and help guide our campaigns. During this next year, reach out to HEAL if you hear about any proposed nuclear energy or nuclear industry sites in your communities. Use our TipLine to contact our team to give us a heads up! To learn more, find resources, and to take action, check out our website.