Patsy T. Mink: “I am introducing a bill to enable veterans exposed to radiation to be considered for medical assistance without regard…”

“I am introducing a bill to enable veterans exposed to radiation to be considered for medical assistance without regard to their particular level of exposure. The bill, also, expands the definition of radiation-risk activity to include veterans exposed to residual contamination. The destroyer U.S.S. Brush entered the waters of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, an area contaminated with radiation from a large number of ships that had served as targets during two atmospheric nuclear tests. Crew members of the U.S.S. Brush ate fish and drank water distilled from the bay and crew members made trips to the target vessels to retrieve souvenirs. There was no dosimetry data collected on the U.S.S. Brush or at the Kwajalein Atoll to determine levels of exposure. No safety precautions were taken to prevent exposure and the crew was unaware of the dangers of ionizing radiation. Veterans who served on the U.S.S. Brush now suffer from a number of diseases that can be linked to radiation exposure. However, their disability claims have repeatedly been denied because they were not onsite participants in an atmospheric nuclear test and they were exposed to low levels of ionizing radiation.”