10 Jul 2020

Nuclear waste dump in Marshall Islands deemed safe by US govt

From , 6:03 am on 10 July 2020

A concrete dome full of nuclear waste in the North Pacific has been deemed safe by the US government and no threat to nearby communities.

But few in the Marshall Islands, where the Runit dome is, believe the finding.

RNZ Pacific's Jamie Tahana has been reading the government's report and speaking to people in the Marshall Islands.

Welcome Jamie so what is the Runit Dome?

The Runit Dome was constructed on Marshall Islands Enewetak Atoll in 1979 to temporarily store radioactive waste produced from nuclear testing by the US military during the 1950s and 1960s.

The Runit Dome was constructed on Marshall Islands Enewetak Atoll in 1979 to temporarily store radioactive waste produced from nuclear testing by the US military during the 1950s and 1960s. Photo: Supplied