80 Years Since the First Nuclear Test: Earth Forever Changed July 16, 2025

On July 16, 1945, in the New Mexico desert, the United States detonated the world’s first nuclear weapon. The Trinity nuclear test marked the beginning of the atomic age and a legacy of radiation exposure that continues to harm human lives and the environment nearly a century later.

Today, on the 80th anniversary of the Trinity test, Physicians for Social Responsibility honors the victims of nuclear weapons and recommits to our mission to protect human life from the greatest threats to health, nuclear weapons and environmental harms.

Many Americans know little about what happened in the wake of that first explosion. The test not only blanketed nearby communities in radiation, but spread fallout across the continent, contaminating countless communities and ecosystems. Nearby residents were not warned or evacuated. No protections were offered. Generations of families have since experienced alarming rates of cancer and other radiation-related illnesses. The land, water, and air were poisoned. And the survivors, known today as the Trinity Downwinders, are still fighting for recognition, justice, and care.

At PSR, we know that the development, testing, and deployment of nuclear weapons poses an existential threat to public health. Radiation exposure from the US testing program has contaminated ecosystems, disrupted communities, and disproportionately harmed Indigenous peoples, people of color, and poor rural populations. Your support powers PSR’s evidence and science-based advocacy to abolish nuclear weapons, demand accountability, and fight for the communities impacted by contamination. 

We are proud to share an important win we just achieved in Congress — the restoration and expansion of RECA (Radiation Exposure Compensation Act), which expired last year. The program will now have increased funding and be available in additional states, providing medical treatment for thousands more Americans poisoned by our government’s own nuclear weapons testing and production. Thanks to a broad coalition and tireless work of Downwinders, RECA was recently passed into law, a long overdue step toward nuclear justice that gives momentum for our continued advocacy.

Over the next month, we will be marking the 80th anniversary of the Trinity test and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with a series of events — in New Mexico, online, and across the country — to remember lives lost and to continue the work of peace and nuclear weapons abolition. We hope you can join us to mark this important occasion as a community. 

This month, we also invite you to contribute to PSR’s crucial work. Between July 16 and August 16, each gift will be matched dollar for dollar by our Board of Directors. Help us reach our $20,000 goal by making a donation today.

Your support helps support two exciting new programs we’re launching this year:

• Emerging Leaders — PSR’s new network of students and early career health professionals began this spring with over 40 participants who are developing skills of advocacy and activism while learning about nuclear weapons abolition and climate justice.
• Radiation and Nuclear Weapons: Health and Advocacy Training — This program will begin in the fall and will introduce the latest research and resources, equipping health professionals with the expertise to support communities impacted by nuclear weapons and to effectively engage with media and decision makers.

Thank you for standing with PSR. On this 80th anniversary of the Trinity test, we honor those harmed and continue the fight to ensure no one else suffers. Please make a gift today.