New analysis suggests over 100,000 people may be eligible for compensation due to the lasting effects of France’s nuclear tests.
France has significantly underestimated the long-lasting impact of its nuclear tests in French Polynesia, a new groundbreaking study reveals. The research, which could lead to compensation claims for more than 100,000 people, sheds light on the devastating effects of 193 nuclear tests conducted by France between 1966 and 1996 at the Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls.
These tests, including 41 atmospheric detonations before 1974, exposed local residents, site workers, and French soldiers to dangerous levels of radiation. Despite this, France has consistently downplayed the extent of the damage caused.
The study, which utilized recently declassified French defence ministry documents, detailed maps, photographs, and interviews, meticulously reconstructed three significant nuclear tests—the Aldébaran, Encelade, and Centaure tests carried out between 1966 and 1974. According to the research, the fallout from these tests was far more severe than officially acknowledged by the French government.
Geoffrey Livolsi, editor-in-chief of investigative journalism organization Disclose, emphasized the importance of the study, stating, “The state has tried hard to bury the toxic heritage of these tests.” The report is the first independent scientific assessment to measure the full scale of the damage, recognizing the thousands of victims affected by France’s nuclear experiments in the Pacific.
