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August 29: International Day Against Nuclear Tests.

In the midst of current global tension, the war between Russia and Ukraine, concern about the use of nuclear weapons increases, further highlighting the relevance of the International Day against Nuclear Tests, since its importance is linked to the fear of proliferation of atomic armament and concerns about the use of nuclear energy.

This event, which until recently was considered irrelevant, takes on a profound and immediate meaning in view of the possibility of an escalation of the conflict and the risk of using nuclear weapons. In this context, it becomes crucial to reflect on the dangers and harmful consequences of nuclear tests, both in terms of weapons proliferation and irreversible environmental impacts.

For years, nuclear tests were carried out in the open air, until today it is not known what the true impact of radioactive contamination on the planet caused by them is, but even having moved to underground tests they also negatively affect the soils, transforming them in infertile spaces, in addition to radioactivity that affects groundwater, soils and also the atmosphere.

We know, for example, that certain regions of Oceania were too affected by underground nuclear tests and others were on the verge of environmental disasters, if those tests had continued.

The Origin of the Date and Its Purpose

Image © DR (20230829) August 29th International Day Against Nuclear Tests The origin of the date had to do with the fact that it was on August 29, 1991 that one of the largest nuclear test sites in the world was closed: Semipalatinsk, in Kazakhstan, exactly 42 years after they were started there. This historic closure prompted the UN General Assembly to institute the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1996.

This is a document that has not yet been ratified by many countries, meaning that it has not yet entered into force. But, even so, the observance of the date constitutes an effort to raise the awareness of humanity, in particular of politicians, so that progress is made towards the complete eradication of tests and, consequently, world denuclearization.

Efforts to achieve the end of nuclear tests around the world can serve as a springboard for discussions and initiatives that focus on the total denuclearization of the planet.

The important thing is that, according to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), all States have the right to develop and be assisted in the development of nuclear energy for civil purposes.

This is why the United Nations in 2009 created this day with the aim of raising awareness of the effects of nuclear weapons testing and achieving a world free of nuclear weapons.

It is sought that on this date, there is greater disclosure of concerns related to nuclear tests, their environmental impact, their effect on soils, among others, so that leaders learn to completely ban these procedures.

The Impact of Nuclear Tests

Image © DR (20230829) August 29th International Day Against Nuclear Tests It all started on July 16, 1945, during World War II, when the United States detonated the world's first nuclear weapon, codenamed Trinity, in the New Mexico desert.

Less than a month later, the US dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing over 100.000 people instantly.

Of the survivors, thousands of people died from injuries, radiation sickness and, in the following years, from various types of cancer. The death toll from these various problems is estimated to have been approaching 200.000.

Since then, more than 2.000 nuclear tests have been carried out by at least eight nations on this planet.

The Number Of Nuclear Warheads

Nine countries had about 12.700 warheads as of early 2022, according to the Federation of American Scientists. Approximately 90% are from Russia (5.977 warheads) and the US (5.428 warheads).

At its height in 1986, the two rivals had nearly 65.000 nuclear warheads between them, making the nuclear arms race one of the most ominous events of the Cold War.

But while Russia and the US have dismantled thousands of warheads, other countries, notably China, are believed to be increasing their numbers.

The only country to voluntarily abandon nuclear weapons was South Africa, which in 1989 suspended its nuclear weapons program and in 1990 began dismantling them. In 1991, South Africa acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), thus becoming a non-nuclear country.

Which Countries Conducted/Conduct Tests

According to Arms Control Association, at least eight countries conducted a total of 2.056 nuclear tests from 1945 to 2020.

The US carried out half of all nuclear tests, with 1.030 carried out between 1945 and 1992. In 1954, it exploded its largest nuclear weapon, a 15 megaton bomb, on the surface of Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, the test codenamed from Castelo Bravo.

The test's power was miscalculated by scientists and resulted in radiation contamination that affected the atolls' inhabitants. The nuclear fallout from the explosion is said to have spread over an area of 18.130 square kilometers.

The Soviet Union carried out the second highest number of nuclear tests with 715 carried out between 1949 and 1990. The USSR's first nuclear test was on August 29, 1949, codenamed RDS-1 and was carried out at Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan.

According to Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), the Soviet Union carried out 456 tests in Semipalatinsk, with devastating consequences for the local population, such as genetic defects and high rates of cancer.

France carried out 210 nuclear tests, while the UK and China each carried out 45 tests. India has carried out three nuclear tests and Pakistan has carried out two.

North Korea is the latest nation to carry out nuclear tests. In 2017, its sixth and most powerful bomb was detonated at the Punggye-ri test site. The underground explosion created a magnitude 6,3 earthquake.

Biggest Nuclear Explosions

The biggest nuclear explosion occurred in 1961, when the Soviet Union exploded the Tsar Bomb at Novaya Zemlya, north of the Arctic Circle. The explosion was 50 megatons, 3.300 times more powerful than the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

The second biggest nuclear explosion occurred in 1954, when the US exploded its biggest nuclear weapon, a 15 megaton bomb.

China's biggest detonation took place in 1976 at Lop Nur, when they detonated a 4 megaton bomb.

The United Kingdom carried out a series of nuclear tests in the South Pacific Ocean between November 1957 and September 1958 as part of Operation Grapple. The Grapple Y was the largest of the operation's nuclear tests, with a three-megaton explosion.

In 1968, France conducted a series of nuclear tests codenamed Canopus at Fangataufa Atoll in the South Pacific Ocean. The test was 2,6 megatons and was 200 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb.

Nuclear Test Sites

Nuclear weapons have been tested all over the world.

On February 13, 1960, France carried out its first nuclear test, codenamed Gerboise Bleue, over the Sahara desert, in Algeria, then French territory.

On September 22, 1979, an American satellite detected an atmospheric nuclear explosion over Prince Edward Island, in the Indian Ocean, near Antarctica.

Many believe that this was a joint nuclear test carried out by South Africa and Israel, but to this day the origin of this detonation remains a mystery, with theories ranging from the impact of a meteorite in the upper atmosphere to an explosion of an extraterrestrial spaceship.

Other nuclear test sites include various US locations in the states of Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and Mississippi.

Tests were also carried out in Australia, China, India, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Russia and Pakistan, as well as in French Polynesia, Kiritimati, the Marshall Islands and, in the open sea, in the Eastern Pacific and the South Atlantic Ocean.

The Impact of Testing

Image © DR (20230829) August 29th International Day Against Nuclear Tests Nuclear tests have immediate and long-term effects caused by radiation and radioactive fallout. Rising cancer rates have been linked to nuclear testing, with studies showing that thyroid cancer is linked to radionuclides.

After a nuclear test, large areas of the earth remain radioactive for decades. The health impacts of different levels of radiation range from nausea and vomiting to death within a few days.

It is suspected that the increase in cancer cases throughout the world in recent years is a result of nuclear tests carried out between 1945 and 1960, which makes scientists wonder what will happen in the coming years, as the Most tests took place after 1960.

Conclusion

As always, human beings only think about the present and never about the consequences of the future. Today we are suffering the result of years of nuclear tests that have been carried out all over the world since 1945 and which, unfortunately, continue to happen.

Today, serves as an alert to this reality, and seeks to create a global awareness of the risk of these tests. Let's hope that humanity opens its eyes and stops destroying its ecosystem because without it we will not survive on this planet.

What do you think of these tests? Are these “days” really useful for anything or are they just dates “for English to see”? We want to know your opinion, do not hesitate to comment and if you liked the article, share and give a “like/like”.

29 August: International Day Against Nuclear Tests

August 29: International Day Against Nuclear Tests.

The Origin of the Date and Its Purpose

The Impact of Nuclear Tests

The Number Of Nuclear Warheads

Which Countries Conducted/Conduct Tests

Biggest Nuclear Explosions

Nuclear Test Sites

The Impact of Testing

Conclusion

What do you think of these tests? Are these “days” really useful for anything or are they just dates “for English to see”? We want to know your opinion, do not hesitate to comment and if you liked the article, share and give a “like/like”.

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