21 Nuclear Tests in ‘86, Institute Says
A total of 21 nuclear test explosions were carried out worldwide during 1986, the lowest number since 1960, Sweden’s National Defense Research Institute reported Monday.
The marked drop in numbers--from 30 in 1985 and 55 the year before--was mainly due to a voluntary ban on testing imposed by the Soviet Union in July, 1985, the institute said in its preliminary survey of last year’s tests.
The United States was responsible for most tests, exploding 12 nuclear devices at its Nevada range last year compared with 14 the year before.
France exploded eight nuclear devices at its Mururoa atoll testing site in the South Pacific, the same as in 1985, while Britain made one nuclear test in Nevada both last year and the year before.
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