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Veterans whose military service included any of the following situations or circumstances may have been exposed to radiation:

• Radiation-risk activity
• Nasopharyngeal (NP) radium treatments
• Military occupational exposure to radiation
• Depleted uranium exposure

Learn how VA confirms radiation exposure during military service.

Radiation-risk activity

The following groups of Veterans are considered to have participated in what is called a "radiation-risk activity”:

"Atomic Veterans," an unofficial term that refers to Veterans who:

• Participated in the occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan between August 6, 1945 and July 1, 1946
• Were prisoners of war in Japan during World War II
• Participated in atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, which were conducted primarily in Nevada and the Pacific Ocean between 1945 and 1962
  Download fact sheets about specific U.S. atmospheric nuclear tests from the Nuclear Test Personnel Review Program (NTPR).

Veterans who participated in underground nuclear weapons testing at:

• Amchitka Island, Alaska before Jan, 1, 1974
• One of the following gaseous diffusion plants for at least 250 days before February 1, 1992: Paducah, Kentucky; Portsmouth, Ohio; or K25 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Nasopharyngeal (NP) radium treatments

Nasopharyngeal (NP) – nose and throat – radium irradiation treatments were administered to certain pilots, submariners, and divers to prevent ear damage from pressure changes. Some other Veterans may have received NP treatments also during their military service.

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Military occupational exposure to radiation

Various military occupations include routine and usually safe exposure to radiation. Veterans who were in these occupations receive special training and are monitored to ensure radiation exposure remains at safe levels. This category includes:

• Navy Veterans who served on nuclear submarines and other nuclear ships or in shipyards
• Veterans who were involved in nuclear weapons handling and maintenance, including clean-ups after accidents involving nuclear weapons
• Veterans who served as X-ray or dental technicians
• Veterans who received X-ray therapy during military service

Depleted uranium exposure

The U.S. military uses tank armor and some bullets made with depleted uranium (DU), a by-product of the process to enrich uranium, to penetrate enemy armored vehicles. When a projectile made with DU penetrates a vehicle, small pieces of DU can scatter and become embedded in muscle and soft tissue. In addition to DU in wounds, soldiers exposed to DU in struck vehicles may inhale or swallow small airborne DU particles.

Learn more about how Veterans may have been exposed to depleted uranium.

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