3. Enewetak Atoll
via:katohika.gr
This breathtaking ring of tropical islands in the Pacific Ocean looks pretty, but it houses a deadly secret. The entire atoll served as a nuclear weapons testing ground for the US from 1948 till 1968. One of these tests was a hydrogen bomb 500 times bigger than the one dropped at Hiroshima.
The fallout for this test completely destroyed the entire island of Elugelab. Testing went on for another six years, with 43 weapons exploded. These polluted the soil and water of the atoll, even contaminating vessels and crew in the area.
In 1968, the indigenous people began to return, but they soon recorded a high rate ofmiscarriages and other health problems.
Around 1979, the US government attempted a cleanup operation. They excavated and took away over 100yards of contaminated earth, but still buried it close by in the Runit Islands. They went as far as building the Cactus Dome, an 18 inch , 100,000 square foot cement cap to cover the contaminated earth.
After another two years later, they deemed it safe to return. As of 2008, the Cactus Dome is showing cracks and chips across 60% of its structure.
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