Guam Delegate James Moylan has introduced the “Parity for Pacific Radiation Survivors Act,” legislation that would amend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include Guam residents exposed to nuclear fallout from U.S. weapons testing in the Pacific.
The bill would designate Guam as a downwinder area, extend qualifying exposure periods to reflect the full timeline of documented fallout, and add renal disease to the list of compensable conditions. If approved, eligible Guam residents who developed qualifying illnesses could apply for federal compensation and formal recognition under RECA, aligning the territory with benefits already provided to other affected communities.
“Our community has waited generations for the federal government to acknowledge what the science has already shown,” Moylan said. “I will continue fighting until Guam is fully included and justice is delivered to our survivors and their families.”
Federal and declassified reports confirm Guam was exposed to radioactive fallout from 67 atmospheric nuclear tests conducted in the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1962. Advocates have long argued that Guam should be treated the same as other downwind areas already recognized in federal law.
Moylan credited the Pacific Association for Radiation Survivors and its president, Robert Celestial, for their continued advocacy. Guam Sen. Therese Terlaje also voiced support, calling the territory’s exclusion from RECA unjust and urging Congress to provide long-overdue recognition and resources to affected residents.
The measure now heads to committee review in the House as supporters continue pressing for federal acknowledgment of Guam’s radiation survivors.