PORT HOPE COMMUNITY HEALTH CONCERNS COMMITTEE

Advocating for Community Health and Environmental Justice

ABOUT PORT HOPE COMMUNITY HEALTH CONCERNS COMMITTE

Why and When We Started

The residents of Port Hope, Ontario have been living with a variety of radioactive and other toxic contaminants in their immediate environment since the 1930’s. As a result, the volunteer Port Hope Community Health Concerns Committee (PHCHCC) was formed in 1995 as an incorporated non-profit organization of current and former residents concerned about health issues relating to the potential health and environmental impacts of the contaminants from two nuclear industries operating in our community as well as the presence of 1.9 million m3 radioactive and heavy metal wastes in more than 1300 locations within the town. Currently there is a $2.6 billion federal remediation underway of the contaminated public and private properties and newly announced provincial plans for the largest nuclear plant in the world to be located in Port Hope’s rural community on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Radioactive waste remediation, 2024, at the schoolyard of the former Dr. Power's Public School, Port Hope, ON. Photo Credit: Faye More

Upcoming Event!

Learn More About This Story

Screening of the 90-minute documentary First We Bombed New Mexico—the story of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, seeking justice for the unknowing, unwilling, and uncompensated victims of the July 16, 1945, Trinity nuclear test in south-central New Mexico.

Before attending the screening, explore the history of the Trinity downwinders and the continuing search for environmental justice in the next section below.

Why We First Bombed New Mexico Matters

On July 16, 1945, the United States detonated the world's first atomic bomb at the Trinity Test Site in south-central New Mexico. Although officials described the area as remote and uninhabited, more than 40,000 people lived in nearby communities across Lincoln, Otero, Sierra, and Socorro counties. Many residents were never warned about the test or its potential risks.

Who Are the Trinity Downwinders?

The Trinity Downwinders are people and families who lived near the Trinity Test Site and were exposed to radioactive fallout following the explosion.

For decades, residents reported higher-than-normal rates of cancer, thyroid disease, leukemia, and other serious illnesses. In response, community members formed the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium (TBDC) in 2005 to document health impacts, preserve community stories, seek scientific study and advocate for recognition and justice.

Learn More

Additional resources are available on our Resources page: