Devon woman claims her father's exposure to nuclear tests may have impacted her
The 44 year old is among a group who've asked the MoD for access to medical records and for a special tribunal be set up to fast-track the investigation
Last updated 17th Apr 2024
A Devon woman says she is 'living under a mushroom cloud' after her father’s exposure to nuclear tests carried out by the British military during the 1950s - which she claims is responsible for her many illnesses.
Susan Musselwhite, 44, from Paignton, Devon, was born with Duane syndrome, a condition which makes her eyes move independently, before being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome in 2000, Graves’ disease in 2014, chronic migraines in 2016 and functional neurological disorder in 2023.
For many years Susan, who said she has been to hospital more than 70 times, on average once every six weeks, thought her poor health was down to being unlucky.
But when she discovered her estranged father, Derek, who died of cancer in 2004, had served in the Royal Navy during Operation Grapple, a series of British Nuclear weapons tests carried out in the pacific in the late 1950s, Susan began to wonder if the two were linked.
She met with other nuclear test veterans and their descendants through the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association and is now convinced her father’s exposure to radiation is the source of her suffering.
UK veterans and their next-of-kin, including Susan, served a “letter before action” on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on march 19, 2024, demanding access to medical records and that a special tribunal be set up to fast-track the investigation, compensation and commemoration of alleged victims.
To help raise money for legal fees, Susan has launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe and plans on swimming 8,500 metres (5.3 miles) in a swimming pool, replicating the 8,500 miles between England and Christmas island.
“I think there’s no probability about it,” Susan told PA Real Life.
“I’ve spoken to people who are descendants of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and we suffer from the same health issues.
“We’re not a very big cohort of people, but when you’ve all got similar things wrong with you, how can that be a coincidence?
“I’ve been suffering with symptoms for a long time, but because I’ve got all these health issues, doctors have always put it down to ‘Oh it’s because you’ve got Grave’s’.
“I’m a blight to the NHS because of my father being sent to these tests.”
To date, four studies commissioned by the MoD, comparing people who witnessed nuclear tests to other veterans and members of the general public have been carried out, and concluded they are not more likely to develop cancer or die prematurely.
But critics have raised questions over the results. Associate Professor in History Dr Christopher Hill, at the University of South Wales, who has spent five years researching the topic, explained: “Critics have pointed out that some of this data, particularly around leukaemia, still raises questions.
“We can also entertain the idea that statistical-based studies do not capture the highly individualised nature of radiation exposure.”
A Government spokesperson said: “We are grateful to all service personnel who participated in the British nuclear testing programme, which is why we have formally recognised them with an official medal.
“Veterans are able to access their individual military records on request taken either before, during or after participation in the UK nuclear weapon tests which are held in the government’s archives.”