The last test took place on 12 February 1989 and resulted in a leakage of large amounts of the radioactive noble gases xenon and krypton, according to Gusev et al. in The Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: a first assessment of the radiological situation and the test-related radiation doses in the surrounding territories. Peterson et al. describe how the radionuclides emanating from these tests resulted in atmospheric and environmental contamination in Diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid disease in the east Kazakhstan region of the Republic of Kazakhstan: a case review of pathological findings for 2525 patients. Exposure to radiation Officially, the only inhabitants in the immediate vicinity during the testing programme were in the nearby town of Kurchatov, whose purpose was to service the site, and in two small settlements along the northern edge of the site. However, local officials maintain that hundreds of thousands of people lived within an 80 km radius of the STS. Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. Photo courtesy of Yuri Kuidin. In the September 2002 issue of National Review, Robert Elegant describes how residents of the village of Sarjal were evacuated before one extremely powerful blast but were returned after ten days. They were normally told to refrain from lighting their iron cooking stoves when testing was taking place in case the fire flared back into the house. They were also warned to stay outside when an explosion was scheduled, since it might topple their house. Historical accounts of residents who were schoolchildren before 1962 indicate that windows were blown out of their schools and that their bodies convulsed when testing occurred. Memorial in Semey, Kazakhstan, to commemorate the victims of the atomic bomb tests at Semipalatinsk. Photo courtesy of A. Ustinenko. Health impact on the local population A number of genetic defects and illnesses in the region, ranging from cancers to impotency to birth defects and other deformities, have been attributed to nuclear testing. There is even a museum of mutations at the regional medical institute in Semey, the largest city near the old nuclear testing site. It consists of a room filled with jars containing monstrosities caused by nuclear testing such as deformed fetuses and human organs, and animal carcasses barely recognizable as potential living beings. ctbto.org/nuclear-testing/the-effects-of-nuclear-testing/the-soviet-unionsnuclear-testing-programme/
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 23:23:27 +0000
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