Problem
Nuclear weapons testing
Other Names:
Thermonuclear bomb testingNuclear explosions in peacetime
Nature:
Nuclear explosions used to test new types of nuclear weapons cause pollution of the environment by radioactive materials, cause leukaemia, stimulate further rounds in the nuclear armaments race, encourage emulation of such developments by previously non-nuclear countries, and increase international tension.
Incidence:
The Threshold Treaty or USA-USSR Treaty on the Limitation of Underground Nuclear Weapon Tests limited testing to below the 150 kiloton yield level. This accord went into effect in 1976. The USA announced 14 underground tests in 1983 alone, but officially admitted through its Department of Energy, that it only announced the larger tests. Tests with 5 kiloton yield or less are kept secret. The figures for tests in 1980, 1981 and 1982 respectively are 14, 16 and 18 for the USA and 21, 21 and 21 for the USSR. USSR figures are obtained from seismic detectors outside the country, as all testing is secret.
Broader Problems:
Nuclear arms raceOffences against human securityCompetitive development of new weaponsEnvironmental degradation through military activity during peace-time Narrower Problems:
Nuclear test victimsUnderground nuclear explosionsGovernment secrecy concerning nuclear weapons testing Related Problems:
Environmental hazards constraining scientific research Aggravates:
EarthquakesRadioactive falloutPollution of underground watersRadioactive contamination of the marine environment and of fisheries products Organizations:
Threshold test ban treaty, 1974 Subject(s):
Defence → ArmsFundamental Sciences → Atomic physics
Research, Standards → Inspection, tests
Societal Problems → Hazards
Problem Type:
D: Detailed problems Date of last update
15.11.2020 – 01:26 CET