The Sound of Silence Project Introduction

The Sound of Silence Project was created to address decades of problems with veterans’ exposure to ionizing radiation from nuclear weapons, including intrinsic radiation or INRAD¹ (ionizing radiation emitted through the nuclear weapon surface or directly from exposed weapon components), and our routine use of toxic and carcinogenic chemicals and other substances.² Those exposures resulted in illnesses, diseases, debilitating medical conditions, and death.

This document includes project goals and objectives, historical practices in nuclear weapons maintenance, evidence of decades of negligence regarding personnel ionizing radiation safety programs and practices, and unsafe work practices and conditions during routine use of more than two dozen toxic and carcinogenic chemicals, organic solvents, compounds, and metals such as Trichloroethylene (TCE), Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK), Tetrachloroethylene (PCE), chromium trioxide, cadmium, magnesium, and beryllium. It addresses shortcomings due to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) incomprehension of the radiation-risk activities in routine nuclear weapons maintenance procedures, and the absence of ionizing radiation dose data due to failure to adequately monitor and manage exposures. Significant VA misconceptions regarding the differences in dangers of ionizing radiation from live nuclear weapons, compared to hazards of medical x-rays, are also discussed. Note: This project does not apply to, nor include, exploded nuclear weapons in any manner or form.

Nuclear Weapons Technicians and Similar Job Classifications, Titles, Ratings, military occupational specialty (MOS), and others

Tens of thousands of Nuclear Weapons Technicians and those with synonymous military occupational specialty (MOS), rating, specialty code, etc., in the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force performed maintenance and other tasks with approximately 71 different types/series of live nuclear weapons and warheads during the Cold War period defined as September 2, 1945, through December 26, 1991.³ For this project, and the formal processes to follow, those are our specific beginning and ending dates.

The term Nuclear Weapons Technician is used throughout this project to represent: “U.S. military veterans whose primary duties and responsibilities included operations working on, with, and in close physical proximity ⁴ to live nuclear weapons or exposed radioactive nuclear weapon components in the operational or custodial control of the Department of Defense. The term includes nuclear weapons technical inspectors, supervisors, and managers whose duties routinely required them to be in close physical proximity to live nuclear weapons and exposed to INRAD.” “Nuclear weapon” is synonymous with “nuclear warhead” herein.

Nuclear Weapons Operations

Nuclear weapons operations included handling, transport, disassembly, limited life component exchange, assembly, test, repair, calibration, modification, storing, and other directly related hands-on maintenance or inspection tasks conducted primarily on land, ships, and submarines.

Nuclear Weapons Technicians routinely worked with toxic and carcinogenic chemicals, organic solvents, compounds, and metals during nuclear weapons operations and related maintenance of nuclear weapons test, handling, and support equipment.

Limitations of the Project Scope

This project scope does not apply to administrative staff whose duties did not require them to actively participate in the maintenance activities or to remain in intrinsic radiation-risk areas. It does not apply to work with nuclear weapon trainers; nor to missile launch crews, air crews and other job specialties, classes, MOS, ratings, AFSCs or other duties where ionizing radiation exposure from nuclear weapons and their components was both minimal and infrequent.

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Footnotes:

[1] Nuclear weapons emit intrinsic radiation (INRAD): “Ionizing radiation emitted through the weapon surface or directly from exposed weapon components.” DOE-DTRA TP 4-1, Army TM 39-4-1, Navy SWOP 4-1, Air Force T.O. 11N-4-1 IC1 30 July 2016, Glossary of Nuclear Weapons Material and Related Terms.
[2] “Chemical” or “toxic chemical” may be used for brevity to include “toxic and carcinogenic organic solvents” or “toxic and carcinogenic compounds”.
[3] The Cold War period was established as September 2, 1945, to December 26, 1991, by the 1998 National Defense Authorization Act.
[4] Close physical proximity, as used in this and related project documents, is specific to nuclear weapon maintenance bays, storage structures, compartments, rooms, torpedo rooms, vaults and other “Two-Person Rule” areas where live nuclear weapons were stored, maintained, tested, inspected, or transported.