"Unusual though that image might be on its own, the discovery that came out of it was far more disturbing: Fallout from nuclear weapons tests had made its way into the bodies of the very youngest Americans. Indeed, the resultant Baby Tooth Survey found that children had absorbed elevated levels of strontium-90-a carcinogenic radioactive isotope. The study attracted widespread attention, including from President John F. Kennedy. The month before his assassination, he signed the Limited Test Ban Treaty of 1963-the Cold War's inaugural arms-control agreement."
""The loss of even one human life or the malformation of even one baby-who may be born long after we are gone-should be of concern to us all. Our children and grandchildren are not merely statistics toward which we can be indifferent." That presidential recognition and action came at the urging of not just scientists but grassroots activists such as Cora Weiss, a New York City mother who sent her own children's teeth to be tested and made peace her priority."
"Cora, my friend and frequent collaborator, died in December at age 91. She was a champion of the United Nations and its mission to advance peace and women's rights-and along with her husband, Peter, a brilliant international lawyer, she never stopped organizing to save the world from nuclear destruction. Unfortunately, in the last months of her life, that organizing became more necessary than ever."
Between 1958 and 1970 researchers collected 320,000 baby teeth and discovered fallout from nuclear weapons tests in children. The Baby Tooth Survey found elevated levels of strontium-90, a carcinogenic radioactive isotope, which drew widespread attention and influenced policy. President John F. Kennedy signed the Limited Test Ban Treaty of 1963 after recognizing the human risks. Grassroots activists like Cora Weiss contributed by sending children's teeth for testing and organizing for peace. Cora Weiss, a longtime champion of the United Nations, died at age 91 after decades of anti-nuclear advocacy amid renewed testing concerns in 2025.
Read at The Nation
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