‘Atom Veterans’ Aid Bill Passed; Veto Possible

The House today gave final congressional approval to a bill granting new benefits to the “atomic veterans” who were exposed to radiation in the U.S. occupation of Japan during 1945 or in postwar tests of American atomic weapons.

The 326-2 vote sends the bill to President Reagan, who may veto it. Administration officials contend that the measure is not based on firm scientific evidence. The Senate passed the measure a week ago by a 48-30 vote, far from the number needed to override.

The bill grants new benefits to the estimated 250,000 U.S. service personnel who were in Hiroshoma or Nagasaki after the U.S. atomic bombing of those Japanese cities in August, 1945, or who took part in open-air tests of U.S. nuclear weapons in the southern Pacific Ocean or in Nevada after the war.

13 Different Cancers

Many of those veterans have now developed health problems, particularly cancer, and have contended that those problems arose directly from their exposure to radiation.

The bill establishes a presumptive link between the veterans’ exposure to radiation and current health problems, spelling out 13 different kinds of cancers for which the veterans can receive benefits.

The measure would cost an estimated $36 million in the next fiscal year, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Under current law, those veterans can receive benefits if they can prove a direct link between their exposure to radiation and their health problems.