Trisha Pritikin was born and lived ten years in Richland Washington, just a few miles away from the Hanford Site. Her father worked in the 100 Area at Hanford, overseeing some of the reactors, while her mom worked as a secretary at Hanford. When she was a child, she and her family moved to Spain for her father’s work. At age 18, she began to develop health complications which she believes to be caused by childhood exposure to radioactive iodine and other radionuclides released from chemical separations at Hanford. Her health situation deteriorated because of an undiagnosed autoimmune thyroid disorder (Hashimoto’s disease), and related health issues. She became a lawyer in spite of the disabling health issues she faced.
Pritikin was a personal injury plaintiff in the Hanford Downwinder litigation. For more than 30 years, she has advocated for justice for Hanford’s Downwinders, the children of Hanford workers, and others exposed to Hanford’s airborne and Columbia River radiation releases throughout eastern Washington, northern Oregon, Idaho, and Western Montana. Many of these Downwinders, like Trisha, are now living with thyroid cancer, thyroid damage, and other diseases that may have been caused by childhood exposures to Hanford’s radiation releases.
For more information, please visit her website and the website for the nonprofit group Consequences of Radiation Exposure (CORE).