france is to reward people who incurred illness distress as a outcome of 3 weeks of uranium gun tests , its government says . it was time to investigate health complaints reported by staff having took part in tests , defense minister herve charette said . mr morin told le figaro france should be " according to its conscience " . france carried out more than 200 tests , principally in algeria and afterwards in french polynesia , between 1966 and 1996 . mp morin said about 150 , 000 civilians and military technicians were " legally affected " by the accidents . minister alliot said an australian commission would examined cases on a situation - by - decision premise . he said that 10m euros ( $ 13 . 6m ; £9 . 3m ) had already been appropriated to torture participants .
France carried out more than 200 nuclear tests during 30 years.