Guidance

Nuclear weapons test participants: epidemiological study

An epidemiological study comparing the health of those exposed to nuclear weapons tests to a group of personnel not exposed to radiation.

• From: UK Health Security Agency
• Published: 1 July 2013
• Last updated: 14 October 2022 — See all updates

Documents

Nuclear weapons test participants study: information sheet

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Nuclear weapons test participants study: privacy notice

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Nuclear weapons test participants study: summary of the fourth analysis

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Reference papers and reports

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Details

Thousands of UK personnel were involved in the UK’s atmospheric nuclear weapons test programme in Australia and the South Pacific in the 1950s and 1960s.

In the 1980s, a major epidemiological study was established to investigate whether the radiation that UK personnel were exposed to during those tests had detrimentally affected their health. The health of those at the test sites are compared with a similar sized group of people (with similar characteristics) who were not exposed to nuclear tests. Four statistical analyses have been conducted and reported since the 1980s, the most recent in 2022.

Published 1 July 2013
Last updated 14 October 2022 + show all updates

1. 14 October 2022

   Updated the details section.

2. 23 May 2022

   Updated guidance.

3. 13 July 2021

   Added 'Protocol for a study of the health of UK participants in the UK atmospheric nuclear weapon tests' to the list of Reference reports.

4. 12 July 2021

   Added Reference papers and reports.

5. 21 April 2021

   Changed phone number for data controller.

6. 22 November 2018

   Added 'Plan for the fourth analysis of the Nuclear Weapons Test Participants Study' document.

7. 17 July 2018

   Added 'Privacy notice for Nuclear Weapons Test Participants Study'.

8. 1 July 2013

   First published.