France concealed the true impact of its nuclear tests in the Pacific from the 1960s to the 1990s, a study has said. Researchers estimate that about 110,000 people in French Polynesia were affected by the radioactive fallout.
French nuclear tests contaminated 110,000 in Pacific, says studyInternational 2021-03-10, by Editor Comments Off 3
France concealed the true impact of its nuclear tests in the Pacific from the 1960s to the 1990s, a study has said.
Researchers used declassified French military documents, calculations and testimonies to reconstruct the impact of a number of the tests.
They estimated that around 110,000 people in French Polynesia were affected by the radioactive fallout.
The number represented “almost the entire” population at the time, the researchers found.
French Polynesia, a French territory made up of hundreds of islands and atolls including Tahiti, was the site of dozens of nuclear tests over 30 years.
Study says French nuclear tests 'affected 110,000 in the Pacific' fijivillage.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from fijivillage.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
BBC News
Published
image captionThis French nuclear test took place over Mururoa Atoll in 1971
France concealed the true impact of its nuclear tests in the Pacific from the 1960s to the 1990s, a study has said.
Researchers used declassified French military documents, calculations and testimonies to reconstruct the impact of a number of the tests.
They estimated that around 110,000 people in French Polynesia were affected by the radioactive fallout.
The number represented almost the entire population at the time, the researchers found.
French Polynesia, a French territory made up of hundreds of islands and atolls including Tahiti, was the site of dozens of nuclear tests over 30 years.