The Marshall Islands consist of two chains of 29 coral atolls and are located between Hawaii and Australia, north of the equator. There are several islands on each atoll. The US repeatedly conducted nuclear tests near Bikini Atoll and Eniwetak Atoll. It destroyed them.
Islands with radioactive secrets
The beautiful islands with crystal blue waters and white sand beaches also hold radioactive secrets. Bikini and Enewetak Atolls in the Marshall Islands, off limits to the rest of the world, were the sites of more than 23 nuclear explosions between 1946 and 1958. This was also the place where the first hydrogen bomb was detonated. This area between Hawaii and the Philippines is now home to sharks that have a single dorsal fin.The reason for this is the effects caused by these explosions. After the Second World War, America used this place for its nuclear research and development programs, which caused huge losses to the animals and humans here.
Steve Palumbi, a professor of marine science at Stanford University who is studying the effects of nuclear radiation on the islands, says there are sharks on the Marshall Islands that only have one dorsal fin. There is a belief that radiation causes mutations and this has been shown to be true.That's why we have mutant sharks at Bikini Atoll, the ones missing their fins. He says I have never seen anything like this before and that means we have a scientific mystery to unravel.
Impact of nuclear explosion
According to reports, the H bomb was 1,100 times larger than the atomic bomb detonated in Hiroshima, which had a huge impact on Bikini Atoll. Experts suspect radiation is leaking into the Pacific Ocean from a large concrete dome dubbed 'The Tomb', which can be found on nearby Runit Island. Built in the 1970s, the massive dome measuring 3.1m cubic feet is beginning to show its age with cracks appearing.One of the only visible evidence of any nuclear testing, 'The Tomb' is a 377-foot-wide bunker, large enough to fit about 35 Olympic-sized swimming pools of radioactive soil and nuclear waste. It was used by the US to ship waste from Nevada, where it was testing nuclear weapons.
Area unsafe for humans
It is currently unclear how much nuclear waste is leaking into the waterways from beneath the dome. Although the marine world is thriving, the area is still considered dangerous for humans. A UN report stated that this was irreversible environmental pollution. The atoll was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010 due to direct concrete evidence of nuclear tests conducted here.
Before the nuclear explosions, the traditional lifestyle of the Bikini Islanders was based on plant cultivation and eating shellfish and fish. The Marshallese people were relatively isolated and developed a society bound by tradition. Bikini Atoll now remains deserted except for a small group of caretakers. This is the radiation that the bombs released. It permeates everything.