The devastating impact of nuclear weapons testing has been brought to light in a recent report, revealing a shocking truth: over four million premature deaths, a silent toll that affects every single person on Earth.
From 1945 to 2017, more than 2,400 nuclear devices were detonated worldwide, leaving a deadly legacy that continues to haunt us today. The report, exclusively shared with AFP by the Norwegian People's Aid (NPA), exposes the ongoing harm caused by these tests, with communities still reeling from the consequences.
Hinamoeura Cross, a Tahitian parliamentarian, shares her personal story. At just seven years old, she witnessed France's last nuclear explosion near her home in French Polynesia in 1996. Seventeen years later, she was diagnosed with leukemia, joining her grandmother, mother, and aunt who also suffered from thyroid cancer.
The report highlights the enduring and widespread damage to human health, societies, and ecosystems caused by these explosions. But here's where it gets controversial: a culture of secrecy, lack of international engagement, and scarce data have left affected communities struggling for answers.
Raymond Johansen, NPA chief, emphasizes the urgency of the issue: "Past nuclear testing continues to kill today." He hopes the report will strengthen our resolve to prevent further testing and ensure nuclear weapons are never used again.
The issue has gained renewed attention after US President Donald Trump's suggestion to resume nuclear testing, a move strongly opposed by Ivana Hughes, a chemistry lecturer at Columbia University and head of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. She warns, "This is very, very dangerous."
The heaviest burden falls on communities living near test sites, located in 15 different countries, many of which were former colonies of nuclear-armed states. Survivors face elevated rates of illness, congenital anomalies, and trauma.
Magdalena Stawkowski, a co-author of the report and professor of anthropology at the University of South Carolina, emphasizes the global impact: "Every person alive today carries radioactive isotopes from atmospheric testing in their bones."
The report highlights the millions of early deaths linked to past nuclear test detonations, with strong scientific evidence connecting radiation exposure to DNA damage, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and genetic effects, even at low doses.
Tilman Ruff, another co-author, warns, "The risks that radiation poses are much greater than previously thought." He estimates that the atmospheric tests alone will cause at least two million excess cancer deaths and the same number of additional early deaths from heart attacks and strokes.
The NPA report also documents a culture of secrecy among states that have tested nuclear weapons. In Kiribati, studies on health and environmental impacts remain classified, and in Algeria, the precise sites where France buried radioactive waste are undisclosed.
None of the nuclear-armed states has apologized for the tests, and even in cases where damage was acknowledged, compensation schemes often served to limit liability rather than provide genuine support to victims.
Hinamoeura Cross's story is a powerful reminder of the trauma endured by these communities. She initially didn't connect her leukemia diagnosis to the nuclear explosions, influenced by France's powerful propaganda. It was only later that she discovered the true extent of the tests, with France conducting 193 explosions in French Polynesia, the biggest being 200 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb.
Other communities, like those near the US test site at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, have also borne a heavy burden. The 15-megaton Bravo test exposed thousands to radioactive fallout, with children mistaking the vaporized coral and radioactive isotopes falling from the sky as snow.
The report calls for increased efforts by nuclear-armed states to assess needs, assist victims, and clean up contaminated environments. Cross emphasizes the need for understanding and healing: "We want to understand what happened to us. We want to heal from this trauma."
This story serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing consequences of nuclear weapons testing and the urgent need for action to prevent further harm.
