LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — For several weeks, KTNV has been diving deep into the history of atomic bombs.
Reporter and weekend anchor, Paulina Bucka, talks about the continued testing done in Las Vegas and the atomic testing era, which brought tourism to the valley but also brought gusts of wind carrying nuclear debris to neighbors all over the United States.
Those affected are called downwinders. Some are still alive today and continue the fight for recognition for the fallout nuclear testing has done.
Director Mark Shapiro made Las Vegas and the former Nevada Testing Site the backdrop for his new independent documentary — "Downwind."
Las Vegas is home to roughly 650,000 Nevadans, who share the glitz, glam and bright lights of their city with over 35 million visitors a year. Most never leave the Strip and never truly understand what it means to be a true Las Vegas local.
Shapiro said the first time he'd ever been off the Strip, he found a really tight community in Vegas. He said he learned about downwinders while researching hiking spots in St. George, Utah.
In Shapiro's findings, John Wayne's movie shot in St. George, called "The Conquerer," showed statistics about the film and books and other research. It said nearly half of the cast died of cancer likely connected to radiation from the fallout about 135 miles from St. George and the Nevada Test Site.
"Las Vegas as a city was sort of like a frontier point where a lot of folks arrived who was doing the testing but also folks that were stationed there," Shapiro said.
A booming time for Las Vegas, literally and figuratively.
"What’s interesting about this is during the testing, people would go on top of the roof— there would be testing — hotels would have atomic-themed drinks and 'Miss Atomic Bomb' and all of it," Shapiro said.
In a city that coined the term “what happens here, stays here,” — this was not true for atomic bomb testing.
The infamous mushroom clouds would go up and eventually come down— carrying in them: radiation.
"That’s what we’ve unleashed in vast amounts since the start of the atomic age in 1945 with the explosions," said Kevin Kamps, radioactive waste specialist.
Kirk Gladwin with the National Cancer Benefits Center has been fighting for downwinders since the 90s.
"People have to remember that even if you weren’t there to breathe in the radioactive fallout, it rained, and of course, the debris got into the grass," he said. "The cows eat the grass, and the kids drink the milk."
Gladwin was also a former Las Vegas resident who started his work locally before moving to Montana, where he's continued his fight for compensation for downwinders.
"There is no question anymore. We know where the fallout went, and we know how much the fallout was, and it's a matter of people coming on board and people making it an important issue," he said.
The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act grants a one-time payment of $50,000 to affected downwinders, but it's limited to parts of Nevada, Arizona and Utah.
"It is a complicated issue because I don’t know how it could have been handled differently. Yes, more people should qualify, yes. None of the downwinders in our movie qualified for RECA because they don’t live in areas covered; no one in Las Vegas would be covered," Shapiro said.
The issue was so important to Gladwin, he connected Bucka with Shapiro. Shapiro drove for over 12 hours to Reno for his documentary debut until he met Bucka at 10 p.m. to entertain her fascination with the atomic fallout.
Shapiro explained what drove him to invest all his money into creating "Downwind." A labor of love — featuring Las Vegas local Ian Zabarte, a downwinder himself, and downwinders from surrounding states.
"There’s no money that can replace losing a 6-year-old daughter, or a mom or parents, family members and neighbors, and all the downwinders in our film talk about," Shapiro said. "They were people that were impacted by these destinations, and yet they’re inspirational. They’re going around the world telling people about the dangers of this because none of us were taught this in history."
He's giving a voice to those who he says have been voiceless for so long.
"They appreciate what we're doing telling this truth," he said. "Telling the story about something so close to Las Vegas. It's a real Las Vegas story."
For those interested in watching "Downwind" the film release date is August 18 by video on demand and in select theaters. Pre-order is available on iTunes. Follow the film on its Instagram here.
