IONIZING RADIATION (IR)

INFORMATION FOR VETERANS

AND THEIR FAMILIES

WHAT IS IONIZING RADIATION?

Ionizing radiation (IR) is high-energy radiation. Exposure to 

high doses of IR may cause adverse health effects. Sources 

of IR exposure during military service include:

• Proximity to radioactive material

• Use of calibration and measurement sources

• Medical treatment using high dose radiation

• Handling and detonation of nuclear weapons

• Exposure to depleted uranium as fumes from fires or as

shrapnel from an explosion

VETERANS POTENTIALLY AFFECTED

The majority of Veterans affected by IR are referred to as 

“Atomic Veterans.” These Veterans participated in one or 

more above-ground nuclear tests during their military 

service between 1945 and 1962; or were part of the U.S. 

military occupation forces in and around Hiroshima or 

Nagasaki, Japan, before 1946. 

Veterans who served in one or more of the following 

situations or circumstances may have been exposed to IR:

• Radiation-risk activity (includes "Atomic Veterans")

Exposure to above-ground nuclear weapons testing and/

or fallout radiation during the American occupation of

Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

• Fukushima nuclear accident

Exposure to very low doses of radiation following the

nuclear accident in Japan from March 12 to May 11, 2011.

• Military occupational exposure

Participation in specific military occupations, such as

a nuclear weapons technician or x-ray technologist,

including routine and usually safe exposure to radiation.

• Depleted uranium

Proximity to an explosion where shrapnel or fumes

containing depleted uranium, used in tank armor and

some bullets, is embedded in the body or inhaled.

• LORAN radiation

Exposure to X-ray radiation from high voltage vacuum

tubes used at LORAN (Long Range Navigation) stations

from 1942 to 2010 by the U.S. Coast Guard.

• McMurdo Station, Antarctica nuclear power plant

Exposure to radiation due to a leak at the nuclear plant

at the U.S. Navy’s McMurdo Station, Antarctica, from

1964 to 1973.

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MAY 2015 | WWW.PUBLICHEALTH.VA.GOV

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Veterans Health Administration

Office of Public Health
IONIZING RADIATION (IR)

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• Nasopharyngeal (nose and throat) radium

irradiation treatments

Radiation treatment received by certain pilots, submariners,

divers, and others during service from 1940 to the

mid-1960s to prevent ear damage from pressure changes.

• Radiation therapy

Exposure to radiation during the treatment of disease,

most commonly cancer.

If you are concerned about the health effects of radiation 

exposure during military service, talk to your local VA 

Environmental Health Coordinator. Visit www.publichealth.

va.gov/exposures/coordinators.asp to find a listing of 

Environmental Health Coordinators at VA medical centers.

WHAT DISEASES AND ILLNESSES ARE LINKED TO 

IONIZING RADIATION EXPOSURE?

For Veterans exposed as part of a “radiation risk activity,” 

VA refers to certain cancers linked to IR exposure as 

presumptive diseases. For other military exposures, radiation 

doses are well below levels associated with adverse medical 

conditions. VA recognizes that the following diseases are 

possibly caused by exposure to IR during service, but are not 

considered presumptive diseases:

• All cancers

• Non-malignant thyroid nodular disease

• Posterior subcapsular cataracts

• Non-malignant tumors of the brain and central

nervous system

NEXT STEPS IF YOU WERE EXPOSED

Eligibility for VA compensation depends on a number of 

factors, such as the amount of radiation exposure and the 

time elapsed between exposure and the development of 

disease. If you believe that you were exposed, contact your 

health care provider. 

VA can help determine exposure during military service 

if you file a claim for compensation benefits for health 

problems associated with radiation exposure during service. 

VA decides benefit claims on a case-by-case basis. Even if 

you are not eligible for compensation benefits, you may be 

eligible for an Ionizing Radiation Registry health exam or 

VA health care. Find out more at http://www.publichealth.

va.gov/exposures/radiation/benefits/index.asp.

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MAY 2015 | WWW.PUBLICHEALTH.VA.GOV

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Veterans Health Administration

Office of Public Health