The research could have an impact on who is eligible for compensation from the government

The research could start a new conversation about how many people are due compensation from the government over the health impacts of the tests, the New York Times has reported. The 1990 Radiation Exposure Compensation Act is a federal statute designed to pay out money to communities and individuals that have been impacted by government nuclear testing, though the new research suggests that a much broader area was potentially impacted by testing than the legislation previously acknowledged. The report says that it hopes its findings “provide an opportunity for re-evaluating the public health and environmental implications from atmospheric nuclear testing”:

Our total deposition density estimates across the contiguous United States have implications for public health and discussions about the 1990 Radiation Exposure and Compensation Act. Aggregated by counties and federally recognized tribal lands, our total deposition density estimates show that there are locations in New Mexico, and in other parts of the United States, including Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, and Idaho, where radionuclide deposition reached levels larger than those we estimate in some counties covered by RECA. Total deposition density is a metric that reflects external exposure to radiation without accounting for internal contamination via the ingestion of contaminated water, fresh milk, and other foodstuffs.