Abstract
The paper focuses on the Bikini Atoll which was used by United states for nuclear testing ground. The Bikini Atoll is located in the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific Ocean. It contains a ring of about 20 small coral islands whose average elevation is only some 2.1 meters above tide level. The Bikinians use the lagoon within their atoll to harvest fish which is the significant source of food. The radiation had a significant effect on the Bikini Atoll land and the people. This led to geographic destruction, radiation which affect the Bikinians and hope to go back to their islands as a result of the effects of nuclear weapons testing. Therefore, scientific risk over nuclear radiation in Bikini Atoll must be considered and effectively reduced.
Introduction
Bikini Atoll composes a ring of islands, which are not safe for human habitation. The United states used the land as a nuclear testing ground, after relocating the native Bikini islanders to neighboring islands. This led to geographic destruction, radiation which affect the Bikinians and hope to go back to their islands as a result of the effects of nuclear weapons testing. In order to receive compensation, the Bikinians have filed several lawsuits, signed a vital and binding negotiation agreement in 1986.they have been awarded a variety of trust funds to assist recover the land and in a potential resettlement process. It extremely questionable if the Bikinians will be given adequate compensation for the damages they received from nuclear tests. The paper will focus on Bikini Atoll and the role it played in the weapons of mass destructions.
Geography
Bikini Atoll is located in the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific Ocean. Lying north of the equator, it is 360 km northwest of Kwajalein and 305 km east of Enewetak Atoll. It contains a ring of about 20 small coral islands whose average elevation is only some 2.1 meters above tide level (Curley, 2012). The largest islands are Bikini and Enyu. The Atoll was known before world war 11 as Escholtz Atoll. Bikini Atoll was used by the United states to from 1947 as part of the US trust territory of the pacific islands under a united nation trusteeship until it became part of the republic of the Marshall islands in 1979 Bikini Atoll.
The first settlers are believed to have arrived in the region anywhere from 2500 years. In the past decades, the land has experienced a constant political instability, which affected their democracy. The missionaries who arrived in the region in 1857, who affected the people’s culture severely. The Bikinians tried to retain relative isolation, though some of them become Christians and learnt Japanese, but in the early 1940s Bikini Atoll’s isolation was interrupted. In additional, Bikini Atoll has 3.4 square miles that have remained unexplored because of its location in the dry region. This isolation influenced powerful family ties and tradition among Bikinians while establishing a belief that land ownership was an accurate measure of their wealth and prosperity.
Housing and Food
The Bikinians have long built their houses and other kind of building using thatched roofs and beam posts. The materials used for building includes coral gravel for flooring, wood from the mangroves, and mats made from pandanus and coconut. They relied on secured lagoon within their atoll for harvesting fish using spears, fishnets and canoes among others. In additional, they obtained food from coconut crabs, birds and fruits such as coconut.
The US presence and the Nuclear Testing
First settlers occurred when Japanese established and managed a watchtower on Bikini Island. The United state later administered the atoll in 1945. When Japan was removed from the Marshall islands in 1944, Bikini Atoll came under the administration of the United States Navy in 1946. It became the site of operation crossroads (Weisgall, 2000). This was a huge military-scientific experiment to establish the impact of atomic bombs on naval vessels. The world’s first peacetime atomic-weapons test was done at Bikini Atoll in 1946. The US military replaced the people living on Bikini Atoll in order to use it as a test site for nuclear weapons. From 1946 to 1958, about twenty- three nuclear weapons were tested at Bikini Atoll.
The largest bomb referred to as Bravo which had fifteen-megaton blast vaporized three of the Atoll’s islands and spread highly radioactive fallout across most of the northern Marshall Islands. This atomic bomb was released from an airplane and exploded in the air with battleships and aircraft carriers who were unmanned. These atomic bombs Bikini Atoll was more severe than that at Hiroshima. Over 42000 US military and other personnel were involved in the nuclear testing in Bikini Atoll (Curley, 2012). Many islanders damages from the explosion of largest atom bomb test. Operation Crossroads had a severe impact globally because it was meant to manifest military dominance and authority of the United states. Following the two bomb tests of operation crossroads Bikini Atoll was not reused for nuclear testing until 1954. The nuclear fallout affected 64 people living
The nuclear testing Impacts in the Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll suffered from severe radioactive explosive from these tests. This was severely after the Bravo bomb which was intense and long lasting. For more than 12 years the Bikinians lived away from their island hoping to return one day. After the explosion of bravo bomb, the atoll suffered serious physical damage, which comprised of 6000 foot crater and vaporization of three islands (Weisgall, 2000). The people started to suffer from acute symptoms, bleeding, diarrhea, vomiting and hair loss. Although the islanders were in great danger, the united state did not stop their nuclear plan. The united state authority started a long- range project to reclaim the land in 1969.
Therefore, the people from diverse Bikini Atoll were moved to various regions for decades. Some Bikinians was relocated multiple times to several locations. The Bikinians living on the atoll were removed from their native soil at the command of Wyatt after bidding the ancestors farewell (Weisgall, 2000). The indigenous inhabitants of Bikini Atoll were initially relocated to Rongerik Atoll and following considerable suffering and near starvation was later transported to Kwajalein Atoll. The Bikinianswere moved to Kili island where food supplies were scarce due to lack of protected water for efficient fishing.
Health Bikini Atoll
The survey conducted in the Bikini Atoll’s water established that the radiation exposure levels of food sources were significant in the south east of the atoll and called for potential relocation. This is so because the understanding of acceptable radiation levels and methods to reduce the radioactivity in the Bikini Atoll was extremely minimal. The plan of US to relocate some group to Enyu put the Bikinians at further risk because the place had higher levels of radiation. They also encouraged Bikinians to spend more time fishing at sea as it would reduce the exposure to higher levels of terrestrial radiation. The further research on the subsistence crops identified Cesium 137, strontium 90 which poses great threat to Bikini Atoll (Weisgall, 2000). The research indicates that the topsoil should be removed before any planting is done to reduce strontium uptake by increasing the level of calcium. Many Bikinians hope these healthy issues will be resolved and have the opportunity to live like before. This is so because the United states argue the Bikinians are safe.
Conclusion
According to many people around the world, the name Bikini Atoll has become synonymous with nuclear destruction, military colonialism and radioactive contamination. This is so because The US military replaced the people living on Bikini Atoll in order to use it as a test site for nuclear weapons. Bikini Atoll suffered from severe radioactive explosive from these tests. This was severely after the Bravo bomb which was intense and long lasting. The research indicates that the radiation exposure levels of food sources were significant in Bikini Atoll and called for potential measures. Although the islanders were in great danger, the united state did not stop their nuclear plan. Therefore, in developing an approach to negotiate the conflict between the Bikinians and the United states, the big issue of scientific risk over nuclear radiation must be considered and effectively reduced. The United states should ensure Bikini Atoll is in the better states it was before the nuclear testing.
References
Curley, R. (2012). Weapons of mass destruction. New York: Britannica Educational Pub.
Weisgall, J. M. (2000). Operation Crossroads: The atomic tests at Bikini Atoll. Annapolis, Md: Naval Inst. Press.
