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| Fig. 1: An atmospheric nuclear weapons test conducted by the U.S. military in the 1950s. (Courtesy of FEMA. Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
Since their inception in 1945, nuclear weapons have remained arguably the greatest threat to humanity. That very year, U.S. Air Force bombers dropped two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Over 70 years later, it stands the only time nuclear weapons have ever been used in warfare. However, since then, far more advanced nuclear weapons have been developed by countries around the world, and at far higher quantities. Furthermore, a total of 2053 nuclear weapons tests have been conducted between 1945 and 2006. It is important for us to understand if these tests have affected our environment and health, and if so, to what extent. [1]
Numerous studies have quantified the devastating aftermath of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. It is estimated that over 200,000 people died in the four months following the bombings due to the explosion, radiation sickness and other illnesses caused directly by the weapons. Survivors and their offspring suffered from mutations and illnesses as well for many more years. [2] The impact on the environment has serious short term consequences, but was significantly less damaging than those caused by the nuclear meltdowns at Chernobyl and Fukushima. "Black rain" fell on both cities and surrounding areas, bringing with it dangerous radioactive materials that contributed to the lasting fallout. [2] Both cities were rendered uninhabitable for many weeks following the bombings. [2]
Nuclear weapons have since become far more advanced and designed to inflict far more damage. Weapons tests since 1945 have since caused a slight impact to the environment, but not enough to be labeled seriously damaging to either the natural world or our health. Fig. 1 shows a nuclear weapons test conducted by the U.S. military in the 1950s.
In 1963, the Limited Test Ban Treaty was signed to prevent atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons. Since then, tests have been underground to prevent environmentally and health-related risks. However, between 1945 and the signing of the treaty, 545 nuclear weapons were tested atmospherically. [1] Atmospheric nuclear weapons testing involved the release of considerable amounts of radioactive materials directly into the environment and caused the largest collective dose from man-made sources of radiation. [1] It is estimated that the thermonuclear weapons tests conducted between 1950 and 1960 close to doubled the concentration of isotope C-14 in the atmosphere, a result of excessive injection of radioactive material into the stratosphere. [1] This is an unnatural level of isotope, but it's effects have yet to quantifiably hurt humans. Underground tests are considered safer to humans and the environment. However, studies show that accidental atmospheric contamination resulting from venting. Researchers have estimated that, from around 800 underground tests performed in the Nevada Test Site, considerable quantities of radionuclide I-131 were released into the atmosphere through venting in the 32 known cases of underground tests conducted in that site. [1] There has not, however, been evidence yet to indicate such nucleotides directly causing harm to the environment or to human beings.
Despite these effects, it is still estimated that the overall global effect of nuclear fallout from weapons tests on the human population is negligible. [1] This is in large part due to the forward-thinking test ban treaty.
In conclusion, nuclear testing has left an unnatural but hardly harmful footprint on our planet. Thankfully, governments were rational enough to sign a treaty to prevent further damage caused by atmospheric testing. Overall, nuclear weapons remain dangerous not just as a means of harming humans during warfare, but also the environment during testing. Underground tests may not have caused any noteworthy incidents yet, but accidents can always occur, even when we least expect them. We must therefore reduce the number of nuclear tests, and eventually aim to reduce the number of nuclear weapons as well.
© Matthew Lu. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.
[1] R. Pravalie, "Nuclear Weapons Tests and Environmental Consequences: A Global Perspective," Ambio 43, 729 (2014).
[2] J. O. Pastore, "The Short-Term Effects of Nuclear War: The Medical Legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki," Prev. Med. 16, 293 (1987).
