Test on Bikini Island
Picture Source: U.S. DOE
Bikini and Enewetak Atolls are part of the Marshall Islands. These
include the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap,
and Utirik. The area is about the size of Washington, D.C. and the population
was estimated to be 56,429 in 2003. The U.S. dollar is the official
currency. From 1946 to 1958 there were 66 nuclear test explosions held
on Bikini and Enewetak plus one that didn't explode. It is figured that
the total yield of all the nuclear devices exploded add up to 108 million
tons of TNT. The House was told at a hearing that many of the Marshall
Islanders now suffer from many diseases related to exposure to radiation.
After World War II the residents of the islands which would be affected
by nuclear testing were removed before testing and it was often on an
involuntary basis. After testing finished the people began to return
in the 1970's but the U.S. had yet to remove the contaminated soil,
which it began to remove in 1977. In 1980 the government declared the
islands safe for habitation.
In 1953 people were not removed before testing, when it was said that
the Department of the Interior felt that this would be demoralizing
and the Atomic Energy Commission agreed, so they were left in place
during the most dangerous testing. The results were a disaster for people
living on Rongelap and Utrik atolls along with servicemen on Rongerik
Atoll and Japanese fishermen, who were all hit with fallout.
The official word was that the weather had changed and the winds had
shifted. It is said that there is some evidence in recently released
documents to show that the wind condition was know and the test took
place anyway, but I have not seen any such documents, but they may exist.
It is also said that the U.S. Navy ordered several of its ships to move
another twenty miles away to avoid fallout from unfavorable winds on
the night before the test.
The U.S. government has passed a bill authorizing claims due to injury
from nuclear testing, here is an excerpt form it:
Article IV of the Section 177 Subsidiary Agreement requires the Marshall
Islands Government to establish a claims tribunal, independent of the
powers of both the President of the Marshall Islands and the Nitijela,
to render final determination upon all claims related to the nuclear
testing program and upon all disputes arising from distributions of
the nuclear claims fund. $45.75 million is to be available "for
whole or partial payment" of claims, ..............
Representatives of the people of Bikini have sought to know whether
the United States Government backs the September 1996 final draft International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on radiological conditions at Bikini.
The IAEA Advisory Group concluded that:
(1) Bikini Island not be permanently resettled under the present radiological
conditions without remedial measures if inhabitants were going to eat
entirely locally produced foodstuffs;
(2) the diet of the peoples of the Marshall Islands, including the people
of Bikini, contained and would continue to contain a substantial proportion
of radionuclide-free, imported food;
(3) provided certain remedial measures were taken, especially continued
potassium fertilization, Bikini Island could be permanently reinhabited;
and
(4) should such remedial steps be taken, radiation doses for people
living on Bikini Island would be acceptable in terms of international
standards and their health would be adequately protected against radiation
exposure due to the atoll's residual radioactive materials.
You can see from the above that not many people would move to the former
testing areas.
Picture Source: DOE
Schedule of Nuclear Tests That Were Conducted
Test Number |
Date |
Site |
Type |
Yield (Kt.) |
Operation |
Test |
1 |
6/30/46 |
Bikini |
Airdrop |
21 |
Crossroads |
Able |
2 |
7/24/46 |
Bikini |
Underwater |
21 |
Crossroads |
Baker |
3 |
4/14/48 |
Enewetak |
Tower |
37 |
Sandstone |
XRay |
4 |
4/30/48 |
Enewetak |
Tower |
49 |
Sandstone |
Yoke |
5 |
5/14/48 |
Enewetak |
Tower |
18 |
Sandstone |
Zebra |
6 |
4/7/51 |
Enewetak |
Tower |
81 |
Greenhouse |
Dog |
7 |
4/20/51 |
Enewetak |
Tower |
47 |
Greenhouse |
Easy |
8 |
5/8/51 |
Enewetak |
Tower |
225 |
Greenhouse |
George |
9 |
5/24/51 |
Enewetak |
Tower |
45.5 |
Greenhouse |
Item |
10 |
10/31/52 |
Enewetak |
Surface |
10,400 |
Ivy |
Mike |
11 |
11/15/52 |
Enewetak |
Air Drop |
500 |
Ivy |
King |
12 |
2/28/54 |
Bikini |
Surface |
15,000 |
Castle |
Bravo |
13 |
3/26/54 |
Bikini |
Barge |
11,000 |
Castle |
Romeo |
14 |
4/6/54 |
Bikini |
Surface |
110 |
Castle |
Koon |
15 |
4/25/04 |
Bikini |
Barge |
6,900 |
Castle |
Union |
16 |
5/4/54 |
Bikini |
Barge |
13,500 |
Castle |
Yankee |
17 |
5/13/54 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
1,690 |
Castle |
Nectar |
18 |
5/2/56 |
Bikini |
Air Drop |
3,800 |
Redwing |
Cherokee |
19 |
5/4/56 |
Enewetak |
Surface |
40 |
Redwing |
Lacrosse |
20 |
5/27/56 |
Bikini |
Surface |
3,500 |
Redwing |
Zuni |
21 |
5/27/56 |
Enewetak |
Tower |
.19 |
Redwing |
Yuma |
22 |
5/30/56 |
Enewetak |
Tower |
14.90 |
Redwing |
Erie |
23 |
6/6/56 |
Enewetak |
Surface |
13.70 |
Redwing |
Seminole |
24 |
6/11/56 |
Bikini |
Barge |
365 |
Redwing |
Flathead |
25 |
6/11/56 |
Enewetak |
Tower |
8 |
Redwing |
Blackfoot |
26 |
6/13/56 |
Enewetak |
Tower |
1.49 |
Redwing |
Kickpoo |
27 |
6/16/56 |
Enewetak |
Air Drop |
1.7 |
Redwing |
Osage |
28 |
6/21/56 |
Enewetak |
Tower |
15.20 |
Redwing |
Inca |
29 |
6/25/56 |
Bikini |
Barge |
1,100 |
Redwing |
Dakota |
30 |
7/2/56 |
Enewetak |
Tower |
360 |
Redwing |
Mohawk |
31 |
7/8/56 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
1,850 |
Redwing |
Apache |
32 |
7/10/56 |
Bikini |
Barge |
4,500 |
Redwing |
Navajo |
33 |
7/20/56 |
Bikini |
Barge |
5,000 |
Redwing |
Tewa |
| 34 |
7/21/56 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
250 |
Redwing |
Huron |
| 35 |
4/28/58 |
Nr Enewetak |
Balloon |
1.7 |
Hardtack I |
Yucca |
36 |
5/5/58 |
Enewetak |
Surface |
18 |
Hardtack I |
Cactus |
37 |
5/11/58 |
Bikini |
Barge |
1,360 |
Hardtack I |
Fir |
38 |
5/11/58 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
81 |
Hardtack I |
Butternut |
39 |
5/12/58 |
Enewetak |
Surface |
1.370 |
Hardtack I |
Koa |
40 |
5/16/58 |
Enewetak |
Underwater |
9 |
Hardtack I |
Wahoo |
41 |
5/20/58 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
5.9 |
Hardtack I |
Holly |
42 |
5/21/58 |
Bikini |
Barge |
25.1 |
Hardtack I |
Nutmeg |
43 |
5/26/58 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
330 |
Hardtack I |
Yellowwd |
44 |
5/26/58 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
57 |
Hardtack I |
Magnolia |
45 |
5/30/58 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
11.6 |
Hardtack I |
Tobacco |
46 |
5/31/58 |
Bikini |
Barge |
92 |
Hardtack I |
Sycamore |
47 |
6/2/58 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
15 |
Hardtack I |
Rose |
48 |
6/8/58 |
Enewetak |
Underwater |
8 |
Hardtack I |
Umbrella |
49 |
6/10/58 |
Bikini |
Barge |
213 |
Hardtack I |
Maple |
50 |
6/14/58 |
Bikini |
Barge |
319 |
Hardtack I |
Aspen |
51 |
6/14/58 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
1,450 |
Hardtack I |
Walnut |
52 |
6/18/58 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
11 |
Hardtack I |
Linden |
53 |
6/27/58 |
Bikini |
Barge |
412 |
Hardtack I |
Redwood |
54 |
6/27/58 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
880 |
Hardtack I |
Elder |
55 |
6/28/58 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
8,900 |
Hardtack I |
Oak |
56 |
6/29/58 |
Bikini |
Barge |
14 |
Hardtack I |
Hickory |
57 |
7/1/58 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
5.2 |
Hardtack I |
Sequoia |
58 |
7/2/58 |
Bikini |
Barge |
220 |
Hardtack I |
Cedar |
59 |
7/5/58 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
397 |
Hardtack I |
Dogwood |
60 |
7/12/58 |
Bikini |
Barge |
9,300 |
Hardtack I |
Poplar |
61 |
7/14/58 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
low |
Hardtack I |
Scaevola |
62 |
*7/?/58 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
255 |
Hardtack I |
Pisonia |
63 |
7/22/56 |
Bikini |
Barge |
65 |
Hardtack I |
Juniper |
64 |
7/22/58 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
202 |
Hardtack I |
Olive |
65 |
7/26/58 |
Enewetak |
Barge |
2,000 |
Hardtack I |
Pine |
66 |
8/6/58 |
Enewetak |
Surface |
Fizz Out |
Hardtack I |
Quince |
67 |
8/18/58 |
Enewetak |
Surface |
.02 |
Hardtack I |
Fig |
Sources: U.S. Department of Energy, United States Nuclear Tests: Document
No. DOE/NV-209 (Rev. 14), December 1994. RMI and Nuclear Claims Tribunal.
Annual Report to the Nitijela For the Calendar Year 1996. Majuro: 1997.
* Between 7/14/58 and 7/22/58
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