Nuclear weapons and public health

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.