How the Nuclear Tests Destroyed the Lives of Innocent Islanders

 

Bikini Atoll

The other day I was reading the story 'othoi shagor' of 'Tin goyenda' again after almost 8 years and learned about an interesting historical reference which I had completely ignored the first time I read it. Today I'm sharing that with you.

After World War 2, during the cold war between the United States and Russia, the U.S.A. conducted some consecutive nuclear tests on different islands and atolls in the Marshall islands (the testing sites were given the name– Pacific Proving Grounds). These tests continued  for 12 years starting from 1946, to show the world how much power they had. According to the document, 105 nuclear tests were conducted in total. The first explosion took place at Bikini Atoll on 1July, 1946. (Atolls are ring-shaped coral islands.)

Marshall Islands is situated in the South Sea of Pacific Ocean and it consists of many small islands and atolls. The atolls consist of smaller islands. In the mainland of the Bikini atoll, lived 167 inhabitants and a few more lived in other islands of the atoll. The American Navy talked their king into leaving the island with all the inhabitants 'for the good of mankind'. The Bikinians were shifted a new island and afterwards, several nuclear bombs were detonated on the Bikini leaving the island's environment polluted with dangerous level of radiation.

However, The Bikinians were having to lead a poor life suffering from malnutrition since the new island wasn't fertile and fishes were not available. Although the Bikini atoll was healing with time, they couldn't move back to their once beautiful and enriched homeland because it now bore poisonous fruits and fishes. All inhabitants of the other islands which were used as test sites, had to pay such dire price.

Inhabitants of some islands near the nuclear test site in Bikini were directly affected by radiation after a hydrogen-bomb detonation went out of control due to miscalculation.

Over the time, the U.S.A. had to pay reparations to the affected islanders but the irreversible damage they had to face personally, socially and nationally could hardly be recovered. Even to this day, the islands where atomic weapons were tested grow contaminated plants.

Here's a fun fact (not really). You must have thought of the swimsuit bikini every time you read the island's name. Actually a French designer launched this swimsuit in the next week after the first atomic test was conducted in Bikini and named it after the island.