By: Candace Lu

On July 16, 1945, the people of Tularosa, New Mexico unsuspectingly went along with their daily lives as ash fell from the sky. Years later, US citizens are still unaware of the magnitude of the Trinity nuclear tests that occurred over 7 decades ago. At the time, the locals who may have been in contact with radiation from the bomb received few external injuries, though their cattle did not. Thus, the explosion was deemed as not dangerous. However, those living near the testing site are now demanding compensation for possible radiation exposure, as they were not informed of the test and its dangers.

Although one of the main concerns of the Trinity test was the control over the amount of radiation released, scientists didn’t originally know enough about its effects and their calculations underestimated the power of the bomb and the amount of energy it released. The mushroom cloud produced by the bomb scattered fairly quickly, and as a result, it didn’t seem too hazardous. New studies have now shown how widespread the fallout really was, dispersing into all of the United States and even reaching Canada and Mexico. However, not many Americans realize how much nuclear waste has spread throughout their country.