Just last month, Alan Peter Cayetano, representing the Philippines,

signed UN Nuclear Ban Treaty1. Philippines was among the 121 UN

members-state that adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons, affirming its stand against nuclear weapons. The treaty is the first
legally binding international agreement that comprehensively prohibits
nuclear weapons.
More than 50 years ago (or August 5, 1963), a treaty was signed in
Moscow banning nuclear weapon tests in the atmosphere, in outer space and
under water with the Government of the United States of America (USA), the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Islands, and the Union of
Soviet Socialists Republics (USSR) as the Original Parties 2. It was considered
as the first step toward a test-ban treaty which temporarily suspended
nuclear testing.
Under the 1963 treaty, the Original Parties are: (1) [p]roclaiming as
their principal aim the speediest possible achievement of an agreement on
general and complete disarmament under strict international control in
accordance with the objectives of the United Nations which would put an end
to the armaments race and eliminate the incentive to the production and
testing of all kinds of weapons, including nuclear weapons and (2) [s]eeking
to achieve the discontinuance of all test explosions of nuclear weapons for all
time, determined to continue negotiations to this end, and desiring to put an
end to the contamination of man’s environment by radioactive substances.

Early Violators?
After its enforcement on October 10, 1963, two violations were
recorded. The first one was carried out on January 15, 1965 by the USSR
where they tested the suitability of nuclear explosions for creating
reservoirs3. The test was carried out under the banner of “Nuclear Explosion
for the National Economy” which aimed to find peaceful uses for nuclear
devices. Reports45 say that some 20% of the radioactive products from
Chagan test escaped the blast zone, and were detected over Japan.
The second violation happened on December 18, 1970 at Baneberry
Test Site Nevada, USA. According to the report by National Cancer Institute 6,
Baneberry released 80,000 curies of radioactive iodine-131 into the
atmosphere. The fallout also rained down locally, affecting 86 workers at the
test site. Although, the U.S. Department of Energy stated that none of them

1
Philippines signs UN nuclear ban treaty. Philstar.com. Accessed November 19, 2017. Available from:
<http://www.philstar.com:8080/headlines/2017/09/21/1741304/philippines-signs-un-nuclear-ban-treaty/>
2
TREATY BANNING NUCLEAR WEAPON TESTS IN THE ATMOSPHERE, IN OUTER SPACE AND UNDER WATER
(PARTIAL TEST BAN TREATY ─ PTBT). nti.org. Accessed November 19, 2017. Available from:
<http://www.nti.org/media/documents/aptptbt.pdf/>
3
Russia used Nuclear Bomb to create ‘Atomic Lake’ – and it’s still radioactive. Mirror.co.uk. Accessed November
19, 2017. Available from: <http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/russia-used-nuclear-bomb-create-
11213915/>
4
Lake Chagan, the Atomic Lake Filled with Radioactive Water. AmusingPlanet.com. Accessed November 19, 2017.
Available from: <http://www.amusingplanet.com/2014/03/lake-chagan-atomic-lake-filled-with.html/>
5
Limited Test Ban Treaty Signed. PhysicsToday.scitation.org. Accessed November 19, 2017. Available from:
<http://www.amusingplanet.com/2014/03/lake-chagan-atomic-lake-filled-with.html/>
6
Baneberry Incident. Cancer.gov. Accessed November 19, 2017. Available from:
<http://www.cancer.gov/i131/fallout/Chapter2.pdf/>
have been harmed, but four years later, two of the workers died from
leukemia7.

Partial Test Ban Treaty Agreements

The treaty consists of 5 articles.

7
18 December 1970 – The Baneberry Incident. CTBTO.org. Accessed November 19, 2017. Available from:
<https://www.ctbto.org/specials/testing-times/18-december-1970-the-baneberry-incident/>