Nuclear security

US Nuclear Weapons Complex Leaves 'Legacy of Death on American Soil'

New investigative reporting from McClatchy has exposed the hidden legacy—and "enormous human cost"—of the U.S. nuclear weapons complex, providing "an unprecedented glimpse of the costs of war."

The reporting, which comes as the nation prepares to upgrade its aging nuclear arsenal to the tune of $1 trillion over the next 30 years, reveals the abundant health and safety risks from radiation exposure at atomic weapons facilities. It's based on more than 100 interviews at current and former weapons plants and in the towns that surround them, as well as analysis of more than 70 million records in a federal database obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.