<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jun/23/plutonium-levels-nuclear-test-site-wa-montebello-islands-study>
"Samples of marine sediment taken from the location of three 1950s British
government nuclear bomb tests off the coast of Western Australia have revealed
plutonium levels up to 4,500 times higher than the rest of the coastline.
Sixty six samples were taken from the shallow waters at the Montebello Islands,
and scientists are now working to understand how marine life may be being
affected by the sediment.
The British government performed three nuclear tests on the uninhabited, remote
islands – about 80 kilometres off the WA coastline – between October 1952 and
June 1956.
The first bomb, known as Operation Hurricane, was detonated in a ship moored
600 metres off Trimouille Island. Two further bombs were detonated from towers
on Trimouille and neighbouring Alpha Island.
The area is now a marine park known for its turquoise waters, corals, dolphins
and threatened turtles.
Madison Williams-Hoffman, a PhD student at Edith Cowan University and lead
author of the research, said the plutonium would have been part of the
“fallout” from the nuclear tests that would have fallen from the blast cloud
and into the surrounding waters and land."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
