What Have They Done to the Rain

Malvina Reynolds
1962

Joan Baez described Malvina Williams song as “the gentlest protest song I know.”

The lyrics were written to raise awareness of the effects of above ground nuclear testing.  The song tells the story of the transport of radioactive strontium-90 from these activities to agricultural fields supporting cattle, into milk, then into a little boy.  Strontium readily accumulates in teeth and bones due to its similarity to calcium, particularly during childhood.    The Baby Tooth Study confirmed that children were accumulating radioactive strontium by collecting baby teeth from St. Louis children and analyzing their composition.  The results of the study convinced President Kennedy to sign the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and Under Water, often called the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT), in 1963.