Eli5: what happens to the areas where nuclear bombs are tested?
In: 3652
Most nuclear test sites were deliberately chosen to be extremely remote and minimize human impact. The Nevada desert is littered with craters from nuclear testing, a completely inhospitable environment where (almost) nobody lived. Later on we moved to extremely tiny and remote pacific islands where (almost) nobody lived. Russia tested its nukes in Siberia where (almost) nobody lived (and also in Khazakstan where a good number of people lived). Britain tested its nukes in the Australian Outback where (almost) nobody lived. The “almosts” were typically small indigenous populations that were forcibly evicted and often poorly compensated if at all. There have been some cleanup efforts if needed, as different types of nukes produce different kinds of contamination, but for the most part they’ve just been left alone to decay quietly.
Latest Answers