Poison in Paradise

Mururoa Atomic Test, 1960s -- Source: BBC

French nuclear weapons testing is not a pleasant subject. Between 1966 and 1996, France exploded 193 atom bombs on the atoll of Muroroa in French Polynesia. Of these, 46 were atmospheric tests, from which unthinkable quantities of radiation rained down on islands throughout the South Pacific. The image of a mushroom cloud demolishing the Mururoa atoll is an icon of this era. Also iconic: the reaction of then-President Charles de Gaulle to the first test: "It's beautiful," he said. (source)

Virtually all of the French Polynesian islands, as well as some more distant islands, received multiple times the "safe" dose of radiation, including some astoundingly high radiation levels measured in samples of water, air, soil, and fish. Further, recognition of this situation has been very slow to occur. A few examples:

• After the first bomb was exploded, vegetables harvested on nearby islands contained 666 times normal radiation; drinking water six times normal. (source)
• In 1966, radioactive rain containing particles from a test called Betelgeuse fell on Samoa, which is thousands of miles from the test site. The 120 kiloton nuclear explosion was conducted 600 meters above the ground, despite adverse wind conditions. (source)
• A similar test in 1974 resulted in radioactive rain on Tahiti, exposing residents to 500 times the maximum level of plutonium allowed. (source)
• Cancer levels in French Polynesia have gone up steadily since the start of testing, but it's difficult to attribute specific instances of disease to specific exposures, especially because the population of the area is only around 250,000. (source)

On a community bulletin board at a market on the atoll of Fakarava, I saw this notice. At the
bottom is a list of 21 diseases that are covered by the French law for indemnities for victims,
and the poster itself, over the iconic mushroom cloud, reads:
"Women of Polynesia:
193 tests in 30 years, all of Polynesia contaminated, and the disaster continues!
Women's lives disrupted. Families murdered...
Do not forget that breast cancer is also a radiation-induced disease.
Reparation is a right."

More shocking than the extent of radioactive fallout, in my opinion, is the extent of the French government's coverup of the radioactive results and the harm that was done to humans in the wake of the tests. Clearly by the time of these tests, a great deal was known about the dangers of radioactivity to people and the environment, so they really knew they needed to obscure what they were doing:

• Statistics on the levels of radiation and consequent incidence of cancer were hidden for at least 40 years, and many studies that could have been done were simply not done. "Despite ongoing efforts by Polynesian authorities to access documents, France still keeps most of them classified, which further increases the frustration of the Polynesians," according to an article published last October. (source)
• The French and Polynesian governments have made very belated recognition of the damage done, and there are currently programs to help the islanders who have radiation-caused diseases. A law enabling restitution to workers has resulted in only a very few actual cases where compensation has been awarded (20 awarded damages out of 1000 cases).
• In the fall of 2018, a French Polynesian politician brought charges against the French for crimes against humanity, taking the claim to the Hague-based International Criminal Court. (source)

We encountered one example of the coverup -- or maybe denial -- in a very charming and seemingly well-informed guide who took us around one of the islands. She insisted that all of the nuclear tests had been done underwater, thus containing the radiation. And she denied that there was any increase in cancer rates due to the tests. We have no idea if she was required to say this, or if she just believed the propaganda of the French official story.

Our charming tour guide whose statements on nuclear tests were
so wrong. Intentionally? Or not? She is a student of anthropology,
working on an advanced degree, so she should be able to read the
current discussions just as well as I can!

For a more technical discussion of the exact amounts of radiation see this article:

Fangataufa and Moruroa, French Polynesia

Nuclear weapons test sites

Did they really test bombs on an atoll like this one, that we saw last week? And did we do it too, on Bikini Atoll,
where 23 American tests took place between 1946 and 1958? 

Author of this content is Mae's food blog: Maefood dot blogspot.com. 

If you are reading it somewhere else, it's been stolen!