Matheson promotes N-safety

The Mathesons have long maintained the family patriarch, former Gov. Scott Matheson, died of cancer caused by fallout from above-ground nuclear tests that billowed over southern Utah.

Now Matheson's son, 2nd District Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, wants to make sure that situation never occurs again. On Friday, he announced new legislation, the Safety for Americans from Nuclear Weapons Act, to ensure the safety of Americans if and when nuclear weapons testing resumes at the Nevada Test Site.

"Like thousands of Utah families, I am painfully aware of the federal government's failure to protect its citizens from the dangers of radioactive fallout created during atomic testing in Nevada in the 1950s and 1960s," he said. "The federal government said we were safe. The federal government knew we were at risk."

To date, almost 5,000 Utahns have been awarded $179 million in federal compensation claims for cancers and other illnesses caused from atomic fallout. Compensation was based on government studies of a single radioactive isotope, Matheson said, and more studies are needed to fully appreciate the far-reaching effects of nuclear testing on Utah residents.

"I will not stand by and let the government take Utah families down that path again," he said during a press conference at the state Capitol. "We need greater accountability before we even consider putting citizens at risk again."

The legislation would, among other things, require congressional authorization before nuclear weapons testing could resume. It would require the federal government to conduct an environmental review prior to conducting tests. And the Environmental Protection Agency, now headed by former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, who has family members who are downwinders, would monitor the tests and report to the public on the findings.

The bill also calls for a study of the health effects of radiation exposure, related illnesses and the various radioactive isotopes linked to adverse health. And it sets up a grant program whereby universities can conduct independent monitoring.

Other provisions call for:

• At least one week public notice before each test.

• If any radiation leaks beyond the Nevada Test Site, the government must cease testing.

• The National Cancer Institute will provide estimates of radioactivity dosages on humans and report to Congress and the public within three years.

Scott Matheson died at age 61 of a cancer associated with exposure to radioactive fallout. It happened at about the same time the federal government finally acknowledged it was responsible for fallout deaths with the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.

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E-mail: spang@desnews.com