In a landmark move, the U.S. government has agreed to provide compensation to the victims and families affected by the world’s first nuclear test — the Trinity Test — conducted in New Mexico on July 16, 1945. This historic decision comes 80 years after the explosion that launched the nuclear age, leaving generations of local residents grappling with radiation-related illnesses and environmental fallout.
The Trinity Test, conducted as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project, took place in the remote desert of southern New Mexico. While it marked a pivotal moment in world history, its long-term health and ecological effects were never fully addressed — until now.
The new legislation, passed in July 2025, will extend compensation through the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to “downwinders” — residents who lived in areas where radioactive fallout spread. Survivors and their descendants have long advocated for acknowledgment and restitution, citing increased cancer rates and unexplained illnesses in the region.
Senators from New Mexico hailed the move as a long-overdue recognition of the sacrifice endured by local communities. Compensation will include direct payments, medical support, and funding for environmental remediation.
This marks a significant chapter in American history, as the nation begins to reckon with the human cost of its nuclear legacy — 80 years after the blast that changed the world.
