Marshall Islands
This Concrete Dome Holds a Leaking Toxic Timebomb | Foreign Correspondent
This Foreign Correspondent ABC documentary covers a variety of environmental justice subjects that are associated with the U.S nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands.
Before conducting its nuclear testing in the 1940s, the United States government displaced the population of Bikini Atoll in forced exile. As of today, the population is not able to relocate back to their homeland due to high nuclear contamination.
After conducting their tests, the United States government recruited young soldiers to clean up radioactive waste in Enewetak Atoll. Years later, many of these soldiers died or were diagnosed with cancers. The waste from this cleanup was placed in a concrete dome, which has been a concern with the world’s current state of climate change.
Sea level rise has enabled the concrete dome to leak highly radioactive waste into the Pacific Ocean. At risk are the Marshall islands coral reefs, it’s fish population that feed locals, as well as fresh water aquifers essential for clean water.
