Lucero Oyarzu -- This is why nuclear weapons tests are so devastating

Lucero Oyarzu: This is why nuclear weapons tests are so devastating! Dear Reader-- Before nuclear weapons were used on the populations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they were tested in New Mexico. On July 16th, we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the first nuclear test, Trinity, which not only led to the use of nuclear weapons in warfare in Japan, but more than 2000 additional nuclear tests worldwide. As the Trump administration threatens to resume nuclear testing again, here are 5 things you should know about nuclear tests: The Trinity test exposed the communities in the areas downwind from the blast to dangerous levels of radiation and fallout. In the following decades, the "Downwinders" from the Tularosa Basin faced long-term health consequences including cancers, even across generations. You can read some of their testimonies here, or, hear their stories directly in a webinar organised by our partner, ICAN Australia only a few hours from now! Register for the Webinar Of the 2,000+ nuclear tests carried out by the 9 nuclear-armed states at more than 60 locations around the globe, most took place on colonized land and the lands of indigenous and minority people, never close to those who made the decisions to conduct them. The history of nuclear testing exposes the oppressive and racist nature of relying on nuclear weapons for “security”. Radiation from nuclear tests harms children more than it does adults. Infants and young girls run the highest risk of cancer across their lifetime after exposure and teenage girls will suffer almost double rates of cancer compared to boys. Like the Hibakusha and global victims of nuclear tests, the Downwinders have raised their voices to fight for a better future. Wherever you are in the world, you can stand in solidarity with them tomorrow by “checking-in” online to the Trinity Test site, with a photo of a lit candle. Check-in online In 2017, the UN adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which is the only international treaty to require for all victims of nuclear weapons use and testing to receive adequate victim assistance. 39 countries have already ratified this Treaty. Has yours? 75 years after the first nuclear weapon was tested, we stand with the affected communities until these immoral, illegal weapons are eliminated for good. Thank you for standing with us. Lucero Oyarzun Digital Campaign Coordinator International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)

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