A creek with atomic waste from WWII is linked to increased cancer risk

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., speaks in favor of reauthorizing the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act in 2024. The legislation, which will benefit people sickened by radiation exposure in uranium mining and nuclear weapons testing, was included in the budget bill President Trump signed on July 4, 2025.

A new study in JAMA shows how proximity to Coldwater Creek, where nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project was improperly stored, affected cancer rates over the decades.

(Image credit: Tom Williams)