The risk of 'nuclear coffin' on the ocean leaks disaster

The nuclear coffin designed to store nuclear waste, could be leaked in the Pacific, UN Secretary General expressed concern.

According to the Daily Star, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a concrete arch was built in the 20th century to block the waste from atomic bomb tests.

Picture 1 of The risk of 'nuclear coffin' on the ocean leaks disaster
The nuclear coffin is a place to bury radioactive waste after the atomic bomb tests.

Speaking to students in Fiji, Mr Guterres called the structure on the Enewetak atoll in the Marshall Islands a "nuclear coffin." The UN Secretary General said it was a legacy of nuclear tests. during the Cold War in the Pacific,

Mr Guterres said people living on the Pacific islands needed help to solve the consequences after decades of US and regional nuclear testing allies.

The Marshall Islands are considered 'zero areas' , where the US and France try atomic bombs during the Cold War.

"The Pacific is the victim of atomic bomb tests ," Guterres said. 'Consequently, it affects human health, many places are poisoned'.

The nuclear "coffin" that Mr. Guterres mentioned was built in the late 1970s on the island of Runit, part of the Enewetak atoll . Radioactive soil and ash from nuclear tests were poured into a pit and sealed with a 45cm-thick concrete dome. However, this is only considered a temporary solution. In the long term, nuclear waste can leak into the environment due to loopholes at the bottom.

Cracks are also seen in the concrete arch, leading to a risk of collapse if a major storm hits. Reportedly, the United States has tested a total of about 67 times the nucleus in this area.