In France, a $13.5 million fund has been created in order to compensate the victims of nuclear testing done in French Algiers and French Polynesia. The testing went on for four decades, with over 200 tests being conducted between the years 1960 and 1996. The people in the surrounding towns claimed to have gotten sick with a variety of diseases including cancer. This is an act by the French government in order to come to terms with the victims so that the country can be closer to internal peace. Many scientists believe that France should have acted sooner than 13 years after the testing stopped, but are glad that France is finally on the right track. Similar compensation has taken place in the U.S. as a result of its testing in Nevada, although the U.S. was reluctant to compensate due to a believe that it would undermine the public’s confidence in the government’s nuclear deterrent activities. Britain and Russia also have similar compensation programs going on.
http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=france-to-pay-nuclear-testing-victi-2009-03-25
Thursday, March 26, 2009
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1 comments:
Seems only fair. I imagine that there were many victims of the tests who died from related illnesses before they were able to be compensated. Up to 40 years is a long time to wait. Though the French government should pay the victims of their negligence, it is no way excuses them from criminal actions.
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