1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Health Impacts of Nuclear War Act of 2023 . 2. Findings Congress finds that— (1) nuclear weapons explosions would have devastating health impacts, including immediate radiation exposure, thermal burns, and blast injuries; (2) a large body of scientific literature suggests that the impacts of wide-spread nuclear weapons explosions are likely to extend well beyond the immediate effect of the explosions and may include long-lasting and catastrophic environmental effects, including— (A) the generation of vast quantities of soot as a result of firestorms generated by nuclear explosions; (B) the injection of such soot into the stratosphere; (C) a significant reduction in sunlight reaching the Earth’s surface as a result of such soot, causing a significant reduction in Earth’s surface temperatures, substantial changes to precipitation and ocean circulation patterns, and a dramatic decrease in crop and fisheries yields; and (D) damage to the ozone layer as a result of such soot, causing increased ultraviolet radiation at the Earth’s surface; (3) such an environmental catastrophe could impact the United States even if the nuclear weapons explosions were outside the United States; (4) the health consequences of such an environmental catastrophe would be severe and long-lasting and may include— (A) increased cancer rates as a result of higher ultra-violet radiation levels or radioactive fallout; (B) malnutrition as a result of decreases in agricultural and fisheries productivity after an abrupt reduction in sunlight; (C) infectious disease spread due to deteriorated public health concerns and compromised immunity; (D) hypothermia, frostbite, and other consequences of exposure to extreme cold; and (E) other, cascading effects, such as consequences of widespread damage to critical infrastructure