Human Impacts of Nuclear Warfare Highlighted in Film Screened at AAAS

The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki occurred over 60 years ago, but the aftermath continues and serves as a warning of what can happen to human life following a nuclear explosion. A 12 March screening of "White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki," a film that vividly and poignantly depicts and describes the impacts of nuclear warfare on human life, was hosted and co-sponsored by AAAS.

The 86-minute film focuses on the experiences of 14 survivors, many of whom speak publicly for the first time. In the film, the survivors described what they were doing just before the bomb hit and then what followed the white flash of the bomb's detonation. Four Americans who were involved in dropping the bombs are also interviewed in the film.

"People need to be reminded of the consequences of using nuclear weapons," said Benn Tannenbaum, associate program director of AAAS Center for Science, Technology, and Security Policy. "The consequences are on a scale that's fundamentally different from other weapons in our arsenal."

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