Interview

Because my essay topic is Yucca Mountain and the issue of using it as a dump for nuclear waste, I decided to interview someone who has been affected by nuclear waste. I interviewed my mom because she was diagnosed with cancer due to nuclear testing in Nevada. From this interview, I was able to gain an appreciation of why she and others in her situation are distrustful of the government. When the nuclear testing was going on in Nevada, the government assured its citizens that it was not harmful. Later, when they realized their mistake, they tried to make up for it by helping pay for the medical bills of the people who got sick from the nuclear testing. However, I learned that they only provide this funding to people whose birth date is before a certain time. Even though professional cancer doctors have testified that my mom’s cancer is a direct result of the Nevada nuclear testing, the government refused to help pay for any of her bills because her she was born too late. Another thing I learned from my interview is that scientists who have tested the fallout from the nuclear testing say that the radiation does not reach its half-life until 2012. This means that it is still fairly potent until this time. People are still legitimately getting cancer from the nuclear testing in Nevada, and yet, the government no longer provides funds for these people.

I think the information I gathered from this interview is valuable because it is a first-hand account of the dangers of nuclear waste. Also, it adds to my argument that the government has proven itself irresponsible in this area. They do not believe that anyone is still affected by the fallout; throughout the course of my mom having cancer I watched her hair fall out as well as her lips turn gray. I’d say that those are pretty real effects.