Nuclear Incidents and Environmental Impact: The Needs of Nature

Nuclear Incidents and Environmental Impact: The Needs of Nature
Nuclear weapons testing, the United States bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki(refer footnote 1) , the Soviet Union Chernobyl (refer footnote 2) and United Kingdom Windscale nuclear power reactor (refer footnote 3) accidents have each provided significant data on the effects that can be attributed to an occurrence of a nuclear incident. The “1946 McMahon Act limited the exchange of information about bomb tests between friendly countries” (refer footnote 4) providing the requirement for States that were allies in war to be have a tenuous relationship for nuclear development issues resulting the requirement to conduct similar tests in isolation that provided for an unnecessary increase in environmental degradation. . The environmental impact for testing that occurred in the 1950’s for Australia and the 1940s for the Bikini Atoll, by the British and the United States respectively, despite efforts to clean up the areas post testing has resulted in the testing sites being uninhabitable at least until the years 2050 and 2030 respectively. (refer footnote 5) Testing by the United States and the United Kingdom for the Pacific region ceased by the 1960s. Testing by the French Government continued through until the 1990s with testing in the Pacific region at the Muroroa Atoll and France refused to sign the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty because of her testing program. (refer footnote 6)

French, (refer footnote 7) and United States testing within the pacific region has resulted in islands being uninhabitable and have caused ecological concerns as the testing in underground bunkers, originally thought to contain the radiological impact of such testing have since proven to be inadequate with possible leaking affecting not only the vegetation on the island but also the surrounding territorial water. (refer footnote 8) Testing by the Soviet Union at Novaya Zemblya through data analysis has been linked to higher levels of thyroid cancer being detected in Scandinavia.

The 1957 United Kingdom Windscale accident led to a ban for milk distribution that originated within a 200 square mile radius of the accident. The 1986 Soviet Union Chernobyl accident resulted in the positioning of a 37 kilometre radius exclusion zone, evacuation of 327000 and significant increase in number of children inflicted with thyroid cancer. (refer footnote 9)

The use or testing of nuclear weapons places human needs at conflict with the needs of nature. Similar for nuclear civil technology, if appropriate security and safety measures are not implemented, funding not provided to advance research and development to provide for advancement in development and implementation of sustainable and more environmentally friendly energy sources or effective management and over-sight delegated to an international governing body with the power to intervene would also be in conflict with the needs of nature.

Footnotes
1 Geoffrey Robertson QC. Crimes Against Humanity: The Struggle for Global Justice. 2000. Maryborough. p.187
2 National Research Council (U.S.) Committee to assess the Distribution and Administration of Potassium Iodide in the Event of a Nuclear Incident. Distribution and Administration of Potassium Iodide in the Event of a Nuclear Incident. Washington D.C. 2004
3 Ibid
4 Malcolm McIntosh, Arms Across the Pacific. London, 1987, p145.
5 Ibid pp 128 & 146.
6 Robertson QC, op. cit., p191
7 Robertson QC. op. cit., p191
8 McIntosh, op. cit., p133. Malcolm identified that the United States payed $150 Million for nuclear damage compensation as long as the Bikini and Kwajalein islanders dropped their legal proceedings against the United States. Bikini also received half of $2.7Billion for economic assistance under commonwealth status agreement. The islands that provided the grounds for the testing are currently not able to be inhabited by the original residents and the surrounding waters have since been contaominated.
9 National Research Council (U.S.) Committee to assess the Distribution and Administration of Potassium Iodide in the Event of a Nuclear Incident. Distribution and Administration of Potassium Iodide in the Event of a Nuclear Incident. Washington D.C. 2004. Children with rare thyroid carcinomas usually 0.5-3/Million/Year, Belarus 30/Million/Year and Gomel Region 90/Million/Year. Predictions for Chornobyl. Deaths from thyroid cancer prob in 100s. Number of cases of thyroid cancer probably in thousands and number of people requiring thyroid operations in tens of thousands. This study did not look at the initial death toll from acute radiation sickness or from nuclear explosion it dealt more with the follow on effects of high levels of radiation attributed to an incident.