Human experimentation with plutonium in Spain. Genesis and development of the “Indalo Project” (1966-2009)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30827/dynamis.v42i1.26896Keywords:
Indalo Project, human experimentation, plutonium contamination, Palomares accident, nuclear accidentAbstract
In 1966, four hydrogen bombs fell on the skies of Palomares (Alme- ria) after a B-52 bomber collided with its mothership. Each bomb was 68-foldmore powerful than the Hiroshima bomb, with three falling on land and one in the sea. The plutonium loads (Pu 239) of two of the three bombshitting land were spread over more than 100 hectares, mostly in the town of Palomares and its surrounds. A secret agreement was reached with the USA to study the inte- raction of plutonium with humans and the environment in the so-called Inda- lo Project. Plutonium had been discovered 26 years earlier, and its long-term consequences for humans remained unknown. The objective of this article is to describe the conditions, motivations, objectives, genesis, and development of the Indalo Project. This important and singular human experimentation project was not only enveloped in secrecy but also lacked any bioethical guarantee. Its creation was based on false official information about the complete decontami- nation of the area. The project was forged in dictatorship but maintained for 37 years in democracy, as revealed by the recent historiography in Spanish, eviden- ce in documentation available from the US Department of Energy (DOE), and oral accounts from affected individuals.
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