Are you a fallout downwinder?

by Lin Hintze
Custer County Commissioner

The increased incidence of certain cancers in former and long-time current residents of these counties should not be taken lightly. Nuclear fallout knows no boundaries. Studies show that counties in central Idaho were hardest hit by fallout and the result of radiation on humans and animals, but lesser effects in neighboring counties don’t diminish the fact that downwinders throughout the state have died from, or are now fighting cancer. Their illnesses could have resulted from direct exposure or typically by drinking raw milk from exposed cows. Over 20 different types of cancer are directly related to fallout, especially those of the thyroid, breast and colon.

The National Academy’s Research Council held a public meeting in Boise on November 6 to hear public testimony in gathering scientific evidence associating radiation exposure with cancers and other impacts on human health. Of most interest to the public is the council’s plan to evaluate whether other classes of individuals or geographic areas should be included under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) program, which would provide $50,000 to individuals whose health may have been affected by exposure to downwind radioactive fallout.

A few days before the Boise meeting, Nikki Doll of Challis asked me to take her allotted time on the agenda to present the impact of radiation health issues in Custer County. She had already accumulated data on the topic covering Custer, Butte, Lemhi and Gem counties which had been given to the commissioners.

Just before leaving for Boise, county residents Logan and Linda Williams and Morgan Haroldsen gave me a collective list of over 100 people, mostly from the area between Mackay Reservoir and Willow Creek Summit, who either survived or succumbed to cancer. At the meeting, these names were presented to the council along with my prepared statement, which follows:

Thank you, National Academy of Science, for giving me the opportunity to speak for the people of Custer County, Idaho; and a special thanks to Nikki Doll for relinquishing her time to me.

As a Custer County Commissioner, and as a lifelong resident of Custer County, I am concerned by the amount of cancer-related deaths and illnesses in our county, and by the possibility that this may have been caused by the radiation fallout from the nuclear test sites in Nevada during the 1950s and 1960s.

Studies have shown that Custer, Lemhi, Blaine and Gem counties received the highest amounts of radiation. These counties are referred to as “downwinders.” The United States government should fund a study that would investigate the increased risk of cancer for those of us who lived in the “downwinder” territory during the fallout period of the '50s and '60s.

Most people are not even familiar with the term “downwinder.” A tracking system should be in place to inform the folks who lived in these counties, and who have moved to other places, of the possible connection between living in these counties during the '50s and '60s and the increased risk of developing cancer. These people have a right to know about this, and any data received on these folks could prove valuable to any study that may be undertaken.

RECA, a “compassionate program,” paid $50,000 to victims of cancer due to nuclear fallout in Arizona, Utah and Nevada. Custer, Lemhi, Blaine and Gem counties deserve the same. Research into possible fallout in other counties in Idaho should be undertaken, as there may be other counties with the same problem.

Lin F. Hintze
Mackay, Idaho

After my testimony, I challenged Senator Mike Crapo and Rep. Mike Simpson to set up special clinics for testing downwinders, and to mandate insurance companies to provide full coverage for these cancer screenings. I also expressed regret that it has taken 45 years for this public health issue to receive the serious attention it deserves.

Are you a downwinder?
Are you a downwinder or do you know one?

I am gathering a register of all the names of Custer and Butte county residents who have survived or died of cancer, or are currently undergoing treatment for cancer. If you, a friend or family member lived here in the 1950s and 1960s and have dealt with cancer, their names, diagnosis and a brief history would be helpful in quantifying the resulting illnesses from past radiation exposure in our own backyard. If possible, a written testimony would better communicate the seriousness of how individual lives have been effected by nuclear fallout. We still have about 90 days to get this information to the National Academy of Science Research Council.

I can be contacted at 390-2849, 588-2849, or at P.O. Box 125, Mackay, ID 83251.

Gratitude goes to all who are helping the cause of the downwinders and especially Nikki Doll, Logan and Linda Williams, and Morgan Haroldsen for their time and effort to get this project started in Custer County.