Comment by jfengel

I think a lot of people would be surprised, that tests done far away, eight decades ago, should have measurable effects now. If nothing else, it's a very important reminder that resumption of those tests would put even more radioactivity into the atmosphere.

There are other effects as well, like the fact that we've basically ruined carbon dating for new objects. They do dating with a basis of 1950 as "Before Present", half-jokingly calling it "Before Physics". After Physics, carbon dating is unreliable, and will be for many centuries to come.

The health effects are negligible, but it's an opportunity to talk about an process that does have real effects that people aren't aware of. And that has an effect on future decisions: let's not risk making them non-negligible.