Ever since 1976, when a veteran of a 1957 nuclear test in Nevada claimed that he developed leukemia as a result of his exposure to the radiation, veterans and their families, scientists, and the public have struggled to determine if there is a connection between participation in the tests and adverse health effects.

In this study, one of the largest of its kind, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies looked into the causes and rates of death among the nearly 70,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who participated during the 1950s in at least one of five groups of atmospheric nuclear tests chosen for examination. These servicemen were present at tests conducted in the Nevada desert or in the South Pacific; some 30 percent have since died. The question that remains is whether some number of deaths may have been attributable to radiation exposure.