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Nuclear war and the academic pediatrician

Pediatric Research volume 95, pages 598–599 (2024)Cite this article

The editors of Pediatric Research have decided to join the many other medical journals from around the world that have printed the call to action that appears in this month’s Journal.1 Per the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the Doomsday Clock is currently set at 90 sec to midnight, a threat level exceeding that estimated during the Cold War.2 Ongoing wars in the Ukraine and the Middle East involving countries with nuclear capability are not only destroying the lives of children and families, but they are increasing the risk that someone, somewhere will “push the button” and use a nuclear weapon in war. In the 1960s3 and the 1980s,4 when world leaders seemed to be contemplating the use of nuclear weapons, physicians spoke up, reminding the world how such a war would impact the health of the planet and its people. This article makes the case that 2023 is again the right time for physicians to remind the world that nuclear war would be a global catastrophe of unprecedented scale.

The argument is not new. Physicians of all specialties, and pediatricians in particular,5,6 have been calling on our leaders to mitigate the risks of nuclear weapons since the mid-twentieth century.7 The logic seems self-evident: the results of a nuclear attack, whether local or global, would be such that the only reasonable course of action is prevention. The editors ask our Societies and Associations to join in the call to world leaders to take concrete steps to mitigate this risk to public health. The Pediatric Policy Council is a forum where four of the major pediatric academic organization meet regularly to discuss policy action and often act in unison, strengthening the impact of House of Pediatrics in the policy arenas. As each organization considers its options, three factors should guide their decision on whether or not to engage:

  1. 1.

    What is our organizational stake in the issue at hand?

  2. 2.

    What is the evidence-base for the policy proposed and it is it likely to be effective?

  3. 3.

    Will our organizational engagement make a difference in the outcome?

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References

  1. Abbasi K. et al. Reducing the risks of nuclear war-the role of health professionals. Pediatr Res. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-023-02850-5.

  2. Science_and_Security_Board. A time of unprecedented danger: It is 90 seconds to midnight: 2023 Doomsday Clock Statement. January 24, 2023. Accessed November 12, 2023. https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/current-time/.

  3. Sidel, V. W., Geiger, H. J. & Lown, B. The medical consequences of thermonuclear war. II. The physician’s role in the post-attack period. N. Engl. J. Med. 266, 1137–1145 (1962).

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  8. SIPRI Yearbook 2023: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security Summary. 2023:28. Accessed Nov 12, 2023. https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/yb23_summary_en_1.pdf.

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  11. Radiation Effects Research Foundation. Accessed Nov 12, 2023. https://www.rerf.or.jp/en/.

  12. IPPNW. International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War – Nobel Lecture. Accessed Nov 12, 2023. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1985/physicians/lecture/.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the members of the Pediatric Policy Council for their comments and feedback. This commentary is submitted on behalf of and with the approval of the Pediatric Policy Council, comprised of representatives from the American Pediatric Society (APS), the Society of Pediatric Research (SPR), the Academic Pediatric Association (APA) and the Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs (AMSPDC): Shetal Shah MD (chair), David Keller MD (APS), Lisa Chamberlain MD, MPH (APS), Lois Lee MD, MPH (SPR), Joyce Javier, MD, MPH, MS (SPR), Mona Patel MD (APA), Maya Ragavan MD, MPH, MS (APA), Tina Cheng MD, MPH (AMSPDC), Ann Reed MD (AMSPDC).

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  1. Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Colorado and University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA

    David M. Keller

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D.M.K. is responsible to the conception, design, acquisition of data, drafting and revision of the important intellectual content of this article, and has approved of its submission for publication in Pediatric Research.

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Correspondence to David M. Keller.

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Keller, D.M., on behalf of the Pediatric Policy Council. Nuclear war and the academic pediatrician. Pediatr Res 95, 598–599 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-023-02962-y

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