Atomic Bomb Testing

Marshall Islands
On March 1, 1954, a 15-megaton thermonuclear device was detonated during a nuclear test on the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific. Between 1946 and 1958, 66 additional nuclear tests took place in the area–one was so big it vaporized an island. The people living on the islands were forced to move from island to island over the years to avoid the aftermath of the nuclear tests. They experienced health affects such as nausea, vomiting, hair loss, skin burns, and itchy skin and eyes. Radioiodine concentrated in the coconut milk and crabs on the islands, forcing the people to try to find other sources of food. At times, some natives even suffered from starvation because they could not find safe food on the islands. The Marshall Island Nationwide Thyroid Disease Study found a high prevalence of thyroid nodules and cancer in the entire population.

Nevada Tests
Over 90 aboveground tests were carried out at the Nevada Test Site between 1951 and 1962. In years following, underground tests were also conducted that released radioactive iodine into the atmosphere. Studies show that there will be about 49,000 cases of thyroid cancer in the United States resulting from exposure to fallout from the aboveground tests in Nevada.