AN idyllic island paradise with crystal blue waters and white sand beaches hides a radioactive secret.
Off limits to the rest of the world, Bikini and Enewetak Atolls in the Marshal Islands were the site of more than 23 nuclear detonations between 1946 and 1958.
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It was also the place where the first hydrogen bomb was detonated.
The radioactive paradise is now home to mutant sharks missing their second dorsal fin and larger-than-life corals.
Stanford University marine science professor Steve Palumbi, who is studying the effects of nuclear radiation on the island, said: “There are individual nurse sharks in the Marshall Islands that have only one dorsal fin.
“The popular belief is that radiation causes mutations and, you know what, it’s true.
“Do we have mutant sharks in Bikini Atoll without a fin? Possibly.
“I’ve never seen anything like it before and that means we have a scientific mystery to solve.”
The H bomb, 1,100 times bigger than the atomic bomb that exploded in Hiroshima, had important consequences on the small island.
It is now feared that radiation is leaking into the Pacific Ocean through a large concrete dome called “The Tomb”, which can be found on Runit Island in the Marshall Islands.
Built in the late 1970s, the large dome measuring 3.1 million cubic feet began to age as cracks began to appear.
One of the only visible evidence of any nuclear testing, “The Tomb” is a 377-foot-wide bunker, large enough to accommodate about 35 Olympic-size swimming pools of radioactive soil and nuclear waste.
It was used by the US to transport waste from Nevada, where they were testing nuclear weapons on Native American lands.
It is currently unclear how much nuclear waste is leaking into waterways beneath the dome.
Although the marine world is flourishing, the area is still considered dangerous for humans.
A report to the United Nations stated that there was “almost irreversible environmental contamination”.
The atoll was named a UNESCO world heritage site in 2010 due to its direct and tangible evidence of the nuclear tests carried out there amidst the paradoxical location.
Before the nuclear explosions, the traditional lifestyle of the Biquíni islanders was based on growing plants and eating shellfish and fish.
The Marshellese people were relatively isolated and developed a society bound by extensive family associations and traditions.
The typical climate is hot and humid, with temperatures varying between 27 and 29 degrees Celsius throughout the year.
The rainy season runs from May to December, while the trade winds from January to May produce greater wave action.
Bikini Atoll remains deserted, except for a small group of caretakers who tend a ghost village.
Food and water must be imported due to contamination that runs through the island’s water and soil.
According to Palumbi, living on the island is impossible.
He said: “People kept trying to get back here but they couldn’t.
“It’s the radiation that the bombs left behind. It penetrates everything.
The island’s plants are loaded with cesium-137, a cancer-causing isotope.
Residents, however, have begun to slowly return to Enewetak Atoll at the request of the US government.
Community elder Alson Kelen grew up on Bikini Atoll.
She said: “Cancers continue from generation to generation.
“If we ask anyone here if there is a legacy of the nuclear impact on their health, the answer would be yes.
“The Marshall Islands Nuclear Claims Tribunal has a list of nuclear-related cancers in all of our people.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
