Editing Nuclear weapon (section)

=== Nuclear testing and fallout ===
{{Main|Nuclear fallout}} {{See also|Downwinders}}
[[File:Rael Nuclear use locations world map.png|thumb|upright=2.25|Over 2,000 nuclear explosions have been conducted in over a dozen different sites around the world. Red Russia/Soviet Union, blue France, light blue United States, violet Britain, yellow China, orange India, brown Pakistan, green North Korea and light green (territories exposed to nuclear bombs). The black dot indicates the location of the [[Vela incident]].]]
[[File:Atomic test seen from Las Vegas.jpg|thumb|right|This view of downtown [[Las Vegas]] shows a [[mushroom cloud]] in the background. Scenes such as this were typical during the 1950s. From 1951 to 1962 the government conducted 100 atmospheric tests at the nearby [[Nevada Test Site]].]]

Over 500 atmospheric nuclear weapons tests were conducted at various sites around the world from 1945 to 1980. [[Radioactive fallout]] from nuclear weapons testing was first drawn to public attention in 1954 when the [[Castle Bravo]] hydrogen bomb test at the [[Pacific Proving Grounds]] contaminated the crew and catch of the Japanese fishing boat ''[[Daigo Fukuryū Maru|Lucky Dragon]]''.<ref name=rudig2 /> One of the fishermen died in Japan seven months later, and the fear of contaminated [[tuna]] led to a temporary boycotting of the popular staple in Japan. The incident caused widespread concern around the world, especially regarding the effects of nuclear fallout and atmospheric [[nuclear testing]], and "provided a decisive impetus for the emergence of the anti-nuclear weapons movement in many countries".<ref name=rudig2>{{cite book |last=Rudig |first=Wolfgang |date=1990 |title=Anti-nuclear Movements: A World Survey of Opposition to Nuclear Energy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZXwfAQAAIAAJ |publisher=Longman |pages=54–55 |isbn=978-0582902695}}</ref>

As public awareness and concern mounted over the possible health hazards associated with exposure to the nuclear fallout, various studies were done to assess the extent of the hazard. A [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]]/ [[National Cancer Institute]] study claims that fallout from atmospheric nuclear tests would lead to perhaps 11,000 excess deaths among people alive during atmospheric testing in the United States from all forms of cancer, including leukemia, from 1951 to well into the 21st century.<ref>{{cite web|title=Report on the Health Consequences to the American Population from Nuclear Weapons Tests Conducted by the United States and Other Nations |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/fallout/|publisher=CDC|access-date=December 7, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204164348/http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/fallout/|archive-date=December 4, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10621|title=Exposure of the American Population to Radioactive Fallout from Nuclear Weapons Tests|author=Committee to Review the CDC-NCI Feasibility Study of the Health Consequences Nuclear Weapons Tests, National Research Council|access-date=October 24, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140907210530/http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10621|archive-date=September 7, 2014 |doi=10.17226/10621|pmid=25057651|year=2003|isbn=978-0-309-08713-1}}</ref>
{{as of|2009|March}}, the US is the only nation that compensates nuclear test victims. Since the [[Radiation Exposure Compensation Act]] of 1990, more than $1.38&nbsp;billion in compensation has been approved. The money is going to people who took part in the tests, notably at the [[Nevada Test Site]], and to others exposed to the radiation.<ref name=compo>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=7159303|title=What governments offer to victims of nuclear tests|website=ABC News|access-date=October 24, 2014|archive-date=January 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118174820/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=7159303|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/omp/omi/Tre_SysClaimsToDateSum.pdf|title=Radiation Exposure Compensation System: Claims to Date Summary of Claims Received by 06/11/2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090907192321/http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/omp/omi/Tre_SysClaimsToDateSum.pdf|archive-date=September 7, 2009}}</ref>

In addition, leakage of byproducts of nuclear weapon production into groundwater has been an ongoing issue, particularly at the [[Hanford site]].<ref name="Hanford Ref">{{cite web|last1=Coghlan|first1=Andy|title=US nuclear dump is leaking toxic waste |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23214-us-nuclear-dump-is-leaking-toxic-waste/|website=New Scientist|access-date=March 12, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413045211/https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23214-us-nuclear-dump-is-leaking-toxic-waste/|archive-date=April 13, 2016}}</ref>