One of the worst of days
July 16, 2024
July 16, 1945 marks the day when the first atomic bomb was detonated — at the Trinity test site in New Mexico. July 16, 1979 is the forgotten day of the devastating Church Rock uranium mill dam breach that sent 90 million gallons of liquid radioactive waste into New Mexico’s Puerco River.
On this week’s Nuclear Hotseat, both anniversaries are remembered.
- Trinity Anniversary: Trinity Downwinder Tina Cordova (pictured) grew up in her family home in the Tularosa Basin, 40 miles from the explosion of the first atomic bomb on July 16, 1945. A cancer survivor like so many in her community, in 2005, she co-founded the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium. She and her community have been working for compensation for New Mexico atomic downwinders for the past 19 years.
- It’s been 42 years since the July 16, 1979 uranium tailings pond spill/disaster that contaminated Navajo Nation land, adding to the radiation burden already there from abandoned uranium mines. Two brief interviews from Nuclear Hotseat #423 from July 23, 2019, where Nuclear Hotseat producer/host Libbe HaLevy covered the 40th anniversary events”
- Edith Hood grew up in the Red Water Pond Road Community, on land which had her living between two uranium mines and just down the road from the 1979 tailings pond spill. Edith worked at a different mine than the UNC facility that had the accident, but faced all of the same dangers.
- Terracita Keyanna has lived her entire life in the Red Water Pond Road Community on Navajo Nation. She was not even born when the Church Rock uranium spill happened… but that did not stop her being exposed to uranium mining waste from what was released and deposited by the spill.
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