Over 2,000 nuclear tests have been conducted in the last 80 years, and their legacy continues to affect the environment and people’s health around the world. The regions most affected – the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region – have endured lasting radiation exposure, even many years after the tests ended.

Mary Dixon grew up in Salt Lake City, one of the many younger generations of American schoolchildren who were taught to “duck and cover” in the event of a nuclear threat. At the time she didn’t know that the United States was conducting tests near Nevada, and radioactive plumes could travel with the wind and affect people located far downwind.

Dixon says that later she and her family developed serious medical problems: thyroid cancer, lupus in her older sister, colon cancer in her younger sister, and other illnesses in the family. She calculated that in a five-story childhood district in its fifth year, nearly 54 people from affected homes had cancer or radiation-related illnesses, or other serious problems.

“Radiation exposure increases the chances of developing cancer, and the risk grows with rising dose: the higher the dose, the greater the risk,” notes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, citing studies of groups of people who were exposed to radiation.

This will not save us from the bomb.

– Mary Dixon

“The Cold War never ended for us.”

– Mary Dixon

Historical Context and Impact

The nuclear era began about eighty years ago after the United States used atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. These blasts killed tens of thousands of people instantly and stoked Cold War tensions as the world competed for advantages in armaments.

Tests continued for decades – more than 2,000 tests between 1945 and 1996, each producing a radiation dose and corresponding impact. Such testing occurred in various countries: the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, France, and others, leading to significant environmental and humanitarian consequences at the testing sites and in surrounding regions.

After the tests, many nations faced cancer, other illnesses, and environmental destruction. Treaties and agreements restricted or partially banned further testing, but the radiation consequences continue to affect the lives of people in areas near the former test sites.

“This is not a problem of the past.”

– Togzhan Kassenova

Researchers emphasize that linking specific health issues to a single historical episode is difficult: radiation effects can appear years later and depend on many factors. For example, studies of Semipalatinsk and the Marshall Islands indicate rising cancer rates and impacts on populations and ecosystems.

“Some radioactive isotopes concentrate in food sources.”

– Ivana Nikolig Hughes

In addition to human losses, the legacy of nuclear testing affected the environment. In the Marshall Islands, parts of atolls were partially or completely destroyed, and some areas remain contaminated nearly seventy years later. Radioactive isotopes can accumulate in food chains, complicating the lives of local communities.

Modern countries have established compensation mechanisms: in the United States, more than 27,000 people, known as downwinders, received payments under RECA, started in 1990 and later expanded. Kazakhstan is also working on payments to certain population groups, and other countries are developing their own models to assist those affected. Yet many people still await recognition of damages and a fair resolution.

Contemporary research and policy call for the world to shift its approach to the nuclear legacy: beyond safety and humanitarian consequences, mechanisms of accountability, compensation, and restitution are crucial to ease the suffering of future generations and increase transparency in the field of nuclear testing.