A recent study from researchers at Columbia University found that parts the Marshall Islands contained far more radiation than the land contaminated by the Chernobyl disaster.

The researchers detected "elevated levels" of radioactive elements like americium, cesium, and two types of plutonium in 38 soil samples taken from 11 different islands. The highest radiation dose was found on Bikini Island, where the US conducted its largest hydrogen bomb test and later sunk dozens of radioactive ships.

These radioactive elements were also involved in the Chernobyl accident, which released about 5,300 petabecquerels of radioactive material.

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Islands and atolls of the Marshall Islands. Uninhabited ones are labeled in grey.
The Republic of Marshall Islands consists of 29 atolls (each made up of many islets) and 5 islands, which can be divided into two island chains, Ralik Chain and Ratak Chain.

California Newsreel
Published on Oct 22, 2014

Between 1946 and 1958, the U.S. detonated 67 nuclear devices in and around the Marshall Islands. The impact of these tests on the Marshallese people was profound - in terms of both actual radioactive exposure and the displacement of people from their home islands due to contamination and to accommodate the U.S. military.