Nuclear Weapons Tests and Environmental Consequences: A Global Perspective

Abstract

The beginning of the atomic age marked the outset of nuclear weapons testing, which is responsible for the radioactive contamination of a large number of sites worldwide. The paper aims to analyze nuclear weapons tests conducted in the second half of the twentieth century, highlighting the impact of radioactive pollution on the atmospheric, aquatic, and underground environments. Special attention was given to the concentration of main radioactive isotopes which were released, such as 14 C, 137 Cs, and 90 Sr, generally stored in the atmosphere and marine environment. In addition, an attempt was made to trace the spatial delimitation of the most heavily contaminated sites worldwide, and to note the human exposure which has caused a significantly increased incidence of thyroidal cancer locally and regionally. The United States is one of the important examples of assessing the correlation between the increase in the thyroid cancer incidence rate and the continental-scale radioactive contamination with 131 I, a radioactive isotope which was released in large amounts during the nuclear tests carried out in the main test site, Nevada.

Artificial 137Cs and natural 40K in mushrooms from the subalpine region of the Minya Konka summit and Yunnan Province in China

“…137 Cs contaminated the environment worldwide as a result of the nuclear weapon detonations and nuclear power plant accidents. The atmospheric nuclear weapon detonations were conducted largely in the northern hemisphere from 1945 until the end of the1970s, in West China up to 1980 and also in the South Pacific Ocean (Prăvălie 2014 ). Further, the nuclear power plant accident in Chernobyl in 1986 caused a serious radioactive contamination in Europe and beyond.…”

Field Response Prediction: Framing the problem.

“…The most common example are long-lived fission products found in the background as a result of fallout from nuclear weapons tests and nuclear reactor accidents [2], [11], [21]. The radionuclide 137 Cs, with a 30-year half-life, can be found as surface contamination across the United States, Europe, Japan as well as other areas of the world ( [22], [23]) and thus, is likely part of the local background in a many POEs. In the event of nuclear accidents like the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents, shorter half-life isotopes like 134 Cs, with a 2-year half-life, can also temporarily appear as part of the background.…”

Radioactive Contamination of the Soil: Assessments of Pollutants Mobility with Implication to Remediation Strategies

“…The concern is especially focused onto released Pu isotopes, due to the high biological toxicity and long half-lives of its relevant isotopes (e.g., 24.2 × 10 3 , 373 × 10 3 , 81 × 10 6 years, respectively, for 239 Pu, 242 Pu, and 244 Pu) [19]. Furthermore, 137 Cs, 90 Sr, 241 Am, and 131 I are the released radioactive isotopes with major impact on the environment and irradiation of the human body [20]. The mentioned isotopes were predominantly found in most of the nuclear test sites worldwide, especially in western US soil [21,22].…”