[Energy people are watching, click on the upper right corner to add 'Follow'] Polaris Nuclear Power Network News: Recently, the US media reported on the disaster caused by the US nuclear test in the Marshall Islands. Radiation poisoning of residents, pollution of marine life, lea

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Polaris Nuclear Power Grid News: Recently, the US media reported on the disaster caused by the US nuclear test in the Marshall Islands. Radiation poisoning of residents, pollution of marine life, leakage crisis of nuclear waste landfills, permanent damage to the environment of the Pacific Ocean... The "sequelae" of the US nuclear test has aroused great public concern, and the US's handling of nuclear disasters has also been questioned by all parties.

The Marshall Islands is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and consists of more than 1,200 large and small islands and reefs, with a population of about 54,000. In 1947, the United Nations handed over the Marshall Islands to the United States. In 1986, the Republic of the Marshall Islands became independent.

According to US media reports, during the US mandate, the United States ultimately chose Bikini Atoll and Eniwetok Atoll in the northwest of the Marshall Islands as the nuclear test site because they were the most open and flat and had fewer residents. .

According to a recent report by the Los Angeles Times, between 1946 and 1958, the United States conducted 67 nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands, in the air above and under the sea, and many residents were forced to leave their homes.

Islanders exposed to nuclear radiation developed severe symptoms of radiation poisoning: hair loss, skin burns, continuous vomiting, diarrhea... After the nuclear explosion, dozens of residents of surrounding islands and reefs suffered from cancer and leukemia in a short period of time. Waiting for death from disease.

It was not until 1958 that the United States ceased nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands under international pressure. However, the United States has since conducted dozens of biological weapons tests on Eniwetok Atoll and dumped more than 130 tons of irradiated soil from the Nevada nuclear test site in the Marshall Islands.

Regarding the permanent disaster caused by the nuclear test to the Marshall Islands, the United States has not yet implemented any response measures. It was not until 1977, nearly 20 years after the end of nuclear testing, that the United States began cleaning up the nuclear remnants left on Eniwetok Atoll. According to recent US media reports, from 1977 to 1980, about 4,000 US military personnel were sent to clean up nuclear test sites. Hundreds of them subsequently developed serious health problems, including cancer, bone problems, and congenital defects in their children.

The U.S. nuclear test in the Marshall Islands left a huge trauma to this peaceful and beautiful island country. The natural ecological environment was irreparably damaged: a large number of fish died, coral faded, and algae bloomed... According to the determination of American researchers, the Marshall Islands The cumulative radiation dose on some islands in the archipelago has exceeded that of Chernobyl where the nuclear leak occurred and Fukushima in Japan.

What is even more worrying is that the "wound" left by the United States in the Marshall Islands is now "oozing blood." The nuclear waste landfill in the Marshall Islands is called a "grave" by local residents. Recently, concrete-sealed landfill structures have begun to develop cracks and gaps due to the effects of climate change. As the global climate warms and sea levels rise, cracks in buildings may further increase. When United Nations Secretary-General Guterres visited the South Pacific island country in May this year, he called this high-risk building a "coffin" and expressed deep concern about the risk of radioactive waste being discharged into the Pacific Ocean.

The United States has an unshirkable responsibility for the various "sequelae" of nuclear tests, but it has not "paid" for these consequences. US media reported that in 1988, the International Court of Justice ordered the United States to pay US$2.3 billion to the Republic of the Marshall Islands, but both the US Congress and the US courts rejected this ruling. Evidence documents reported by the Los Angeles Times show that the United States paid only $4 million. Faced with the risk of a nuclear waste landfill dome leaking, Marshall Islands officials sought help from the U.S. government, but were rejected. The U.S. claimed that the landfill was located on Marshall Islands land and was therefore the responsibility of the Marshall Islands government.

Perhaps many people do not know the small island country of the Marshall Islands, nor do they know the nuclear tests conducted by the United States here and the disasters caused. This historical dispute has not been fairly resolved to this day. It is not difficult to see that the United States has different standards for the basic right to survival of its own citizens and those of other countries. Washington The execution of nuclear test-related judgments and the disposal of residues did not follow international rules.As some American nuclear historians have said, the richest country in the world does not have the political sincerity to correctly treat a poor and weak country that has made great sacrifices for U.S. national security.

Original title: Reporter's Notes: The "Sequelae" of the U.S. Nuclear Test in the Marshall Islands

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