UNGA79 Side Event: Silent Fallout Screening and Panel Discussion

On October 30, 2024, the Human Rights Now hosted a film screening and panel discussion of Silent Fallout. The event took place as a side event to the First Committee of the United Nations 79th General Assembly in New York. The event was held in collaboration with the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, PeaceBoat USA, Arms Control Association (ACA), International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), and our youth initiative, Reverse the Trend (RTT).

On Silent Fallout:

Narrated by Alec Baldwin, this documentary by the Japanese director Hideaki Ito, addresses the world’s biggest environmental problem. The U.S. government dropped 101 atomic bombs on the American continent as part of its nuclear testing program, resulting in radioactive contamination of the continent. In the 1960s, milk was contaminated with radiation and children were exposed to this radiation. Women around the country stood up through an effort entitled Mothers for Peace, collecting baby teeth and demonstrating the presence of strontium-90 in their children. Moved by these findings and efforts, President Kennedy declared a halt to atmospheric nuclear testing and pursued the Partial Test Ban Treaty, which ended US above-ground testing.

Director’s Statement

“The film is intended to convey that the entire American continent has been contaminated by radiation from 101 atmospheric nuclear tests conducted in the United States. Then, it is requested to reconsider and discuss nuclear weapons.”