An official report has revealed that the management of medical records for UK nuclear test veterans has been inconsistent and complex, largely due to Cold War secrecy. The Ministry of Defence's findings come after years of advocacy from veterans seeking full access to their medical histories, which they believe are crucial for proving health impacts from radiation exposure.
The report indicates that there has never been a centralized record-keeping system for the approximately 25,000 individuals involved in the nuclear testing program from 1952 to 1967. It also notes that some records may have been inadvertently destroyed, complicating veterans' efforts to secure compensation for health issues they attribute to their service.