Another New Mexico town seeks awareness on Trinity Test harm

A small, New Mexico railroad town that received a large part of the residue from the world’s first atomic test wants to share its story.

The Alamogordo Daily News reports advocates seeking recognition for the harms caused by the 1945 Trinity Test are trying to gather stories from residents of Carrizozo, New Mexico.

Members of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders say many who lived in the area weren’t told about the dangers of the test and later were diagnosed with rare forms of cancer. They are seeking acknowledgment and compensation from the U.S. government.

Scientists working in the then-secret city of Los Alamos developed the atomic bomb as part of the Manhattan Project. The bomb was tested in a stretch of desert near towns with Hispanic and Native American populations.