Summary: Some of the 200,000 active-duty military personnel who participated in atmospheric nuclear tests between 1945 and 1962 were exposed to potentially harmful doses of radiation. During the last 20 years, veterans with diseases that they attribute to radiation exposure have filed claims for monetary compensation with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Veterans can receive compensation for 16 types of cancer without documenting the radiation dose because VA presumes these cancers to be directly linked to the veterans' exposures. For other cancers and some nonmalignant ailments, the Defense Department (DOD) estimates, or "reconstructs," the radiation dose using such information as the duties and locations of veterans and their units during the atmospheric testing, the type and the quantity of radiation released from the explosives, and readings from the film badges worn by veterans and from other devices use to measure radiation doses in the vicinity. VA uses the results of these dose reconstructions to decide compensation claims. This report (1) reviews studies that assess the validity of dose reconstructions for estimating veterans' radiation exposures and discusses the issue with experts and other knowledgeable individuals, (2) determines what activities are in place to oversee the dose reconstruction process, and (3) examines alternatives for deciding veterans' claims for compensation related to radiation exposures.
