Medact is part of a network of health professionals in 58 countries - International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) - working for the total abolition of nuclear weapons and all weapons of mass destruction.
Besides the dangers of their use in war or accident, nuclear weapons impact now on health and the environment through the effects of their past production and testing. These include deaths, cancers, other illnesses and large amounts of radioactive waste. We still cannot estimate the long-term effects of radiation on individuals, future generations and other life on the planet.
We believe the billions of pounds spent annually on nuclear weapons diverts creativity and resources from other much more socially useful services such as hospitals and schools.
You can find more information on Nuclear by visiting the archive.
Adobe Acrobat
Many of the documents available on this site are in PDF format.
To view them you will need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader if it is not already installed on your system.
Zero is the Only OptionInternational Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) has pubished a major new briefing paper on the global climate and health effects of nuclear war. Zero is the Only Option, produced for the 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty Reveiw Conference, draws extensively from the work of climate scientists at Rutgers University and the University of Colorado at Boulder, including Alan Robock, O.B.Toon, Michael Mills, and their colleagues, who have documented the climate effects of regional nuclear war. Click here to download the report. 20/05/2010
19th World Congress of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) in BaselIPPNW's 19th World Congress: 'nuclear abolition: for a future' will take place between 25th & 30th August in Basel Switzerland. Registration is now open! As Dr Bernard Lown said: "now is the time to give Obama a strong push toward nuclear abolition, the direction he wants to go. So come to Basel next August and make it happen!"
Click here for more details and to register.17/03/2010
We don't need Trident! - demonstrate at Aldermaston February 15thJoin a group of Medact members to protest at the continued developed of Weapons of Mass Destruction on UK soil. The Tridentploughshares/CND blockade of Aldermaston, near Reading will take place from 7am on Monday 15th Feb.
There are various levels of protest on the day and all levels of involvement are equally important.
As ever, it is always good to have a prominent group of health professionals at such occasions and this is a particularly important (and even achievable, dare we suggest!) focus of protest. For further information about the blockade see Trident Ploughshares website (www.tridentploughshares.org) or CND's (www.cnduk.org).
If you are interested in going please contact Gay Lee 020 8674 9397,
greyhair@nildram.co.uk who is coordinating the Medact contingent.01/02/2010
Sign the Rethink Trident StatementCND and Compass have brought together a coalition of over 100 leading figures from across British public life to call for a halt to Trident replacement and a re-deployment of the resources saved to more socially useful areas. Click here to see how you can read the statement and add your name to this call; please also lobby your MP to sign EDM 380 which bears the same message.14/12/2009
What do 71 MPs really think?ICAN-UK have identified 71 MPs who have a record of voting to get rid of the Trident nuclear weapons system, but who have not yet signed an EDM supporting a Nuclear Weapons Convention (EDM 72 & 1282). We are asking members to write to these MPs - particularly if you are in one of their constituencies - to find out their views on starting multilateral negoitations towards a Nuclear Weapons Convention. Please click here to see a draft letter you may want to use or adapt. Click on the link to check whether your MP has already signed. It will be really helpful if you could let us know about any response you get. Thanks!29/06/2009
Securing out Survival: the case for a Nuclear Weapons ConventionSecuring our Survival presents a draft model international treaty - or package of agreements – for
the phased elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide. A Nuclear Weapons Convention would cut through the widely held perception that nuclear disarmament is an impossible dream. This model convention offers a vision of what a nuclear weapons free world might look like and provides a way for people to see how nuclear disarmament could actually take place, showing the steps that could practically lead to nuclear weapons being safely eliminated by all parties.
Download a 4-page summary of the model convention here; or go to the ICAN-UK website by clicking here. 26/05/2009
Lobby in the European Parliament for the US Nuclear Bombs based in Europe to be removedThe United States has Free Fall Nuclear Bombs based in a number of European Countries. These bombs, although under the command of the US are based aboard European military planes and would be dropped by European pilots
Recently bombs have been withdrawn from Britain and Greece. Lobby to have the rest of these bombs removed from Germany, Belgium, Holland, Italy and Turkey by contacting your MEP. European Parliament Elections are on Thursday 4th June. 15/05/2009
Disarmament and Arms Control TreatiesFor a comprehensive summary of Disarmament and Arms Control Treaties form the Antartic Treaty of 1959 to information about possible future treaties such as the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space (PPWT) click here. 17/03/2009
Let's take cancer clusters seriously this timeAmong the many environmental concerns surrounding nuclear power plants the fear that children living near nuclear facilities face an inreased risk of cancer perhaps provokes the greatest anxiety . Now three major new studies by scientists from Germany and the US have re-ignited the long debate about the scientific evidence,,,,, click on the website below to read the summary of the article by Medact Trustee Dr Ian Fairlie in the New Scientist 12/05/2008
France is preparing to carry out test of a future missile M51 at the end of this week.We have received a message from Pierre Villard, Co-president of Le Mouvement de la Paix and Coodinator of the French coalition the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
France is preparing to carry out a new test of a future missile M51 at the end of this week. This is a complete violation of the Non-proliferation Treaty and Pierre is asking as many people as possible to send an email to protest, and break the wall of silence around this test. 27/03/2008
Medical Students open International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War CongressMedical students from 12 countries opened the recent global congress of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War with a march from the India-Pakistan border to Ghandi's burial site on the Ganges river. Dr Tony Waterston was there and describes the highlights of the congress in his blog on the British Medical Journal website 20/03/2008
Nuclear proliferation: the final pandemicA conference organised jointly by the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) will take place at the RSM on October 3rd & 4th 2007. With the aim of refocusing attention on the need to prevent nuclear war and eliminate nuclear weapons the programme will cover subjects ranging from the climate effects of 'regional' nuclear war to the use of highly enriched uranium to produce medical isotopes. Click here to read the conference overview and use the link for registration....04/09/2007
Nuclear power in the context of climate change - not the answerIn the ongoing debate about nuclear power and climate change Dr Ian Fairlie's 2005 submission to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee clearly outlines the case that nuclear power is not the answer to reducing carbon emissions.25/04/2007
Faslane DiaryA tale of protest by health professionals and a potential haggis replacement for Trident at the Faslane submarine base as part of the Faslane 365 protest.01/03/2007
The Medical Consequences of Nuclear WeaponsDue to recent public demand for information on the effects of nuclear weapons, MEDACT is updating the 1981 pamphlet and placing it on its website. The opportunity has been taken to make a number of (mostly technical) amendments to take account of changes since 1981.
Dr IAN FAIRLIE
Dr DAVID SUMNER
February 2007
23/02/2007
New Medact Briefing: Britain's New Nuclear Weapons: Illegal, Indiscriminate, and Catastrophic for HealthIn the foreward to the White Paper on 'The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent' presented to Parliament on December 4th the Prime Minister says he 'is confident that [the resulting] debate will only confirm that maintaining our nuclear deterrent is in the best interests of the country's future security'. Medact fundamentally disagrees. Our briefing 'Britain's New Nuclear Weapons: Illegal, Indiscriminate and Catastrophic for Health' outlines why. It details the terrible health effects that even a one-kilotonne weapon would cause to reveal any nuclear weapon for what it is: indiscriminate and therefore illegal. 06/12/2006
US Nuclear Weapons in EuropeAll 480 US nuclear weapons in Europe - including some 110 in the UK - should be removed by the end of the year, according to a new Declaration to the European Parliament.
Read Medacts's supporting statament and take action yourself
To find out more click here. 12/07/2006
Faslane 365Faslane 365 is an inspired plan for a year-long peaceful protest at the Faslane Trident nuclear base. To find out more including how you can get involved click here...01/06/2006
Click the website link given below. From there, select the HTML version of the Sixth Report. Then click on "Written Evidence" at the bottom of the contents, and the link to the Memorandum submitted by Medact can be found approximately half-way down the page.22/05/2006
Nuclear Power - the case againstThe debate about nuclear power has been given fresh urgency with the formal launch on January 23rd of the UK Energy Review. Nuclear power, and the amount of carbon dioxide emitted during its production, has also become part of the climate change debate. Generating electricity by nuclear fission is potentially very hazardous to health for a number of reasons....27/01/2006
Health professionals urge Blair not to replace TridentIt appears that a decision on replacing Britain's Strategic Nuclear Deterrent (Trident) is imminent if not already taken. A number of key UK health professionals have written to Tony Blair, the leaders of the other parliamentary parties and relevant parliamentary committees setting out the strong health, humanitarian, economic, political and legal reasons for not replacing Trident. The letter urges the Prime Minister to take no decision on replacing Trident without a proper parliamentary and public debate on best methods to achieve UK and global security. The letter is signed initially by Medact President June Crown. 25/10/2005
Trident ReplacementThe UK government has said that it is likely to decide whether or not to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system during this Parliamentary term.
This new Medact briefing gives the basic data on Trident, looks at the legal and political background to the decision, gives the pros and cons of replacement, and ends by urging the government 'to act with forethought and statesmanship and lead the world from the insanity of mutual threat towards a collective and verified trust'.
The Briefing is intended to be used as a lobbying tool for those writing to MPs and others who can influence the decision.
