Modeling Harm in Nuclear Environments after Operation Crossroads

Scientific projections about the effects of radiation on animals, humans, and entire ecosystems are based on models developed since 1945, using data from the Marshall Islands and other key sites of exposure and contamination. Some of these data are used to create environmental models to estimate future exposure. But they are also used for historical work—often in legal cases—to estimate plausible past exposures. This presentation discusses the evolution of such models, and engages in such controversial issues as animal experimentation, human experimentation, and the ethics of environmental monitoring. It poses a historian's question: how should we frame narratives about harm in nuclear environments?