Guterres confirmed the disturbing information while speaking to students in Fiji as a part of a tour of the South Pacific focusing on climate change and environmental issues. The leakage, according to Guterres, has already begun to have its effect.

Our oceans are in serious trouble, from coral bleaching to biodiversity loss. Healthy oceans save lives and livelihoods. We need urgent #ClimateAction to protect our oceans – and our future. pic.twitter.com/vakISTezL8

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) May 15, 2019

“The consequences have been quite dramatic, in relation to health, in relation to the poisoning of waters in some areas.”

Aside from being used to store the dangerous atomic waste, Guterres discussed how the Pacific had been victimized while under US administration. The islands and atolls far off the south east coast of Japan such as Enewetak were the sites of 67 American nuclear weapons tests that took place between 1946-58.

One such test was the 1954 ‘Bravo’ hydrogen bomb, which remains the most powerful US-tested atomic weapon. Its explosion was 1,000 times bigger than the atomic bombs used on Japan.

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The native people who lived on the Marshall Islands had to be forcibly evacuated and resettled by the US administration. Nonetheless, many ended up exposed to nuclear fallout from the tests.

While Guterres had no specific recommendations for how to minimize the impact, he warned that action needs to be taken soon. A powerful storm in the region could end up damaging the cover further, which would have devastating results for the environment.

(Source: Russia Today)