Runit Dome

The Runit Dome was constructed in 1979 to temporarily store radioactive waste produced from nuclear testing by the United States military during the 1950s and 1960s.

The Marshallese community raised concerns over damage to the dome after Typhoon Nangka hit in July causing significant damage to homes and infrastructure on the atoll.

Our correspondent, Giff Johnson says the team surveying the dome found the cracks have been developing over time.

Runit (or Cactus) dome was used for Cold War nuclear testing by the US government for 10 years from 1948. There were 42 tests in total on Enewetak Atoll, including 22 explosions on platforms, barges and underwater in the space of just three months in 1958, just before a moratorium on atomic testing.

In the late 1970s, an estimated 73,000 cubic metres of contaminated topsoil was deposited in the Cactus nuclear test crater beneath the dome, according to a report commissioned by the US government.

It was only supposed to be a temporary measure — but the dome remains.