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Abstract #165153

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Patrice Sutton, MPH, Research Scientist, Consultant, 311 Douglass Street, San Francisco, CA 94114 and Robert Gould, MD, Physicians for Social Responsibility, 311 Douglass Street, San Francisco, CA 94114, 408 972 7299, rmgould1@yahoo.com.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the US re-affirmed the centrality of nuclear weapons as an integral component of a “credible” U.S. offensive posture, and soon began advancing nuclear weapons research at Department of Energy weapons facilities through computer simulation, enhanced laser technologies, subcritical testing, and other programs. The US continues to modernize its nuclear warhead and delivery systems and the industrial capacity for designing, testing, and deploying strategic nuclear weapons and has proposed a new program for developing “reliable replacement warheads” which could ultimately cost tens of billions of dollars and lead to the construction of thousands of new nuclear warheads. In April 2006, the Bush administration unveiled the most sweeping realignment and modernization of the nation's massive system of laboratories and factories for nuclear bombs since the end of the Cold War. The proposed complex will have the capacity to design, develop, certify, and produce refurbished and new warheads in quantity and sustain underground nuclear-test readiness. While the US continues to embrace nuclear weapons, the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, chaired by former IAEA Director General Hans Blix, recently proposed a practical framework to achieve nuclear disarmament. Today, eight nations possess approximately 27,000 nuclear weapons and nuclear materials and technologies are widely distributed throughout the world. Current nuclear weapons and related capabilities remain inextricably linked to catastrophic public health consequences. Preventive measures including strengthening disarmament and non-proliferation measures, phasing-out nuclear power, and abolishing nuclear weapons will be discussed.

Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation participants will

• Describe the public health implications of the Reliable Replacement Warhead program and the U.S. plans for "Complex 2030";
• List primary prevention measures to address the public health threats of nuclear weapons.

Keywords: Radiation, War

Related Web page: www.sfbaypsr.org/ www.psr.org/

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

• Slides (pdf) or Handout