Semipalatinsk Revisited Radiological Evaluation of the Former Nuclear Test Site

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Semipalatinsk Revisited Radiological Evaluation of the Former Nuclear Test Site Doc-03.qxd 1/21/99 9:34 AM Page 12 SEMIPALATINSK REVISITED RADIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF THE FORMER NUCLEAR TEST SITE BY PETER STEGNAR AND TONY WRIXON arious locations around the world are Vaffected by residual radioactive material. Some of them are the result of past peaceful activities, while others result from military programmes, including the testing of nuclear weapons. In the 1990s, there has been growing international cooperation in assessing the radiological effects of past military nuclear activities. In many countries, attention has turned to assessing and, where necessary, remediating areas 12 affected by residual radioactive materials from military steppes of Kazakhstan became explosions were conducted activities. The IAEA has been the first centre for nuclear underground. Thirteen of the leading this effort of assessing weapons testing within the underground tests resulted in former nuclear-weapon test Soviet Union. The release of radioactive gases to the sites. This article reports on Semipalatinsk test site is a atmosphere. (See table, page 14.) preliminary radiological 19,000 km2 zone in the north- The only on-site inhabitants evaluations of the east of the country, 800 km during the testing programme Semipalatinsk site in north of the capital Almaty. were in the town of Kurchatov Kazakhstan, where the former The zone lies southwest of the whose purpose was to service Soviet Union conducted more Irtysh River which flows into the site, and in the small than 400 nuclear tests over a Kazakhstan from China and settlements of Akzhar and forty year period. which, for a short distance, Moldari along the northern forms part of the nuclear test edge of the site. Recently there THE SITE site boundary. has been a limited amount of The Republic of Kazakhstan is During the period 1949-89 resettlement within the area, located immediately south of the former Soviet Union mostly by semi-nomadic Russia, and west of China. conducted about 460 nuclear farmers and herders. The bulk Following World War II, the weapons tests within the test of the local population is in site. They included explosions settlements just outside the site Photo: Lake Tel’kem-2 in that were conducted on the border. The total population of Kazakhstan, which resulted surface or in the atmosphere. from a crater caused by a Five of these surface tests were Mr. Stegnar is a staff members in nuclear test. The test used three not successful and resulted in the Waste Safety Section, and Mr. nuclear devices, each the the dispersion of plutonium in Wrixon is Head of the Radiation equivalent of 240 tonnes TNT. the environment. Starting in Safety Section, Division of IAEA BULLETIN, 40/4/1998 (Credit: IAEA mission/July 1994) 1961, more than 300 test Radiation and Waste Safety. Doc-03.qxd 1/21/99 9:34 AM Page 13 these settlements is estimated to be 30,000 to 40,000 people. IAEA MISSIONS In May 1993, representatives of the Kazakhstan Government informed the IAEA of their concern about the radiological situation in Semipalatinsk and western areas. Subsequently, the Government of Kazakhstan requested the IAEA to provide assistance regarding the former test areas of Semipalatinsk and western Kazakhstan. The IAEA agreed to organize a study of the radiological situation in Based on the results of this spectroscopy and these areas. This commitment first mission, IAEA officers met radiochemical analysis to resulted in a series of activities in March 1994 at Agency determine radionuclide to characterize and evaluate the headquarters in Vienna with a concentrations. Experts from radiological situation at the delegation from Kazakhstan. the team spent time talking to Semipalatinsk test site. At this meeting, one topic of inhabitants in the surrounding November 1993. The first discussion was the concern farms and settlements for the IAEA mission was performed about Semipalatinsk. In purpose of gaining information in November 1993. The response to this concern, the on the local diet and customs objectives were to become IAEA agreed to establish, relevant to the dose assessment. familiar with the test site and through its technical co- June 1998. A third mission 13 provide guidance on future operation programme, a was conducted in 1998 in actions. The team was also project to assist the Republic of compliance with a United asked to assist in strengthening Kazakhstan in the radiological Nations General Assembly the national infrastructure in assessment of the Resolution (52/169M). In this the area of radiation Semipalatinsk test site. mission an expert team protection, with emphasis on July 1994. A second IAEA intensively examined the environmental monitoring. mission to the test site was consequences and needs arising The team traveled to the conducted in July 1994. The from two generations of Semipalatinsk site and objectives were to collect nuclear testing in the territory identified the most likely areas additional radiological data of what has been the Republic of radioactive contamination from in and around the site, of Kazakhstan since 1991. The on the test site as well as off- collect and review existing data mission was composed of site. It also performed limited provided by Russian and specialists from organizations radiation measurements and Kazakh sources relevant to the and agencies of the United collected environmental radiological situation at the test Nations including the IAEA, samples at identified locations site, and to perform a the Government of to assist in further defining the prreliminary assessment of the Kazakhstan, and other concerns and provide present and potential future technical experts from the information as to future doses to residents in the international community. The actions. The team also visited Semipalatinsk area. mission was deployed from 15 governmental laboratories to The goal was to determine determine their capabilities for whether further radiological Photo: Specialists conduct in- cooperative efforts and to evaluation and assessment were situ gamma spectrometric locate existing radiological warranted. Soil, vegetable and measurements at Semipalatinsk assessment data. milk samples were collected during the IAEA mission in July and analyzed by gamma 1994. (Credit: IAEA mission/July 1994) IAEA BULLETIN, 40/4/1998 Doc-03.qxd 1/21/99 9:34 AM Page 14 to 30 June 1998 to carry out NUCLEAR TESTING AT SEMIPALATINSK the needs assessment of the humanitarian situation in the Duration Test Zone Number Semipalatinsk Test Site of testing Geology of tests Territory of Kazakhstan, as stipulated in the UN 1949-62 Sandstone Surface: 26 resolution. Air: 87 1961-89 Granite, quartz-porphyry, FINDINGS OF syenite rock mountain massif In mine galleries: 215 THE MISSIONS Based on information collected 1965-80 Alevrolite, porphyry, sandstones In boreholes: 24 during the missions and subse- quent research, there is suffi- 1968 Argyllite In boreholes: 2 cient evidence to indicate that most of the area has little or no 1965-89 Alevrolite, sandstones, residual radioactivity directly conglomerate In boreholes: 107 attributed to nuclear tests in Kazakhstan. There are a few areas that have elevated resid- ual radioactivity levels within external exposure. If these areas showed no elevated levels of the test site where the surface were permanently settled in the artificial radionuclides, tests were performed and future, estimated exposures sampling was not where a few underground tests could be up to 140 mSv per comprehensive. As such it is vented to the atmosphere. year. This annual exposure is difficult to draw general Preliminary surveys of these above the action level at which conclusions about the entire areas indicated that the conta- intervention is expected to be water supply. In addition the 14 mination is relatively localized. undertaken. Remedial action results do not provide any Due to the limited amount is, therefore, considered guarantee about the future of survey data that was necessary for these localized security of the water supply. collected during the missions, elevated areas. However, due to External dose rates. The the existence of actinide budgetary and other external radiation dose rates residues from the failed nuclear constraints, the most and soil activity outside the test tests could not be appropriate remedial action at site are the same, or close to, corroborated. Descriptions of this time may be to restrict typical levels in other regions the nature of the failed tests, access to these areas. and countries where no the prevailing conditions and The measurements made by nuclear-weapons testing had any supporting data would be the IAEA experts corroborate, been carried out. Some areas needed before further to a reasonable degree, the show small increases but these investigations are considered. more extensive surveys carried are not significant in terms of Currently there are no out by different organizations the exposure to the local restrictions of access to the from Kazakhstan and the population. nuclear test site and limited former Soviet Union. The One village had a higher reoccupation has already combined results are plutonium deposition level begun. An assessment of the considered sufficient to form than the other settlements and exposure of persons who, on a the basis of a preliminary has been the subject of more daily base, visit the areas where assessment of the radiological comprehensive soil sampling. the surface tests and vented situation of the area around the However, estimated annual underground explosions has Semipalatinsk test site. doses still remain low. been undertaken. The one exception to the Intervention to reduce the Initial findings of this above conclusion is the radiation exposure of people assessment indicate annual drinking water supply. While outside the Semipalatinsk test exposures in the region of 10 samples of drinking water site is not considered to be IAEA BULLETIN, 40/4/1998 mSv, predominantly due to taken during the missions justified. ❐.
Recommended publications
  • Foreign Minister Idrissov
    Time to ban nuclear weapons testing forever BY ERLAN IDRISSOV, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF KAZAKHSTAN The story of Kazakhstan's independence is intricately linked to the banning of nuclear testing and the renunciation of nuclear weapons. On 29 August 1991, Kazakhstan became the first country in the world to close a nuclear test site on its territory. The decision by President Nursultan Nazarbayev to close the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site where the Soviet Union carried out more than 450 nuclear weapon tests was welcomed by the people of Kazakhstan, and helped lead to the country's declaration of independence on 16 December 1991. OUR CLEAR CHOICE would damage, rather than bring, security It is no surprise that the Kazakh When the Soviet Union collapsed in and prestige. people were so strongly supportive of 1991, Kazakhstan inherited the fourth- the decision to shut the Semipalatinsk largest nuclear arsenal in the world: Since its independence, Kazakhstan site. The tests, which took place between more than 100 ballistic missiles and has been vigorously promoting 1949 and 1989, had the combined more than 1,000 nuclear warheads, the principles and ideals of nuclear explosive power of 2,500 atomic bombs capable of reaching any point on Earth. disarmament and working tirelessly to rid dropped on Hiroshima. The fall-out from What is less well known is that we also the world of the nuclear threat. We are a these tests – of which over 100 were found ourselves, if it had been our wish, founding member of the 2009 Nuclear- above ground – affected 1.5 million with the infrastructure and expertise to Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia, which people and led to radioactive pollution maintain and deploy this arsenal.
    [Show full text]
  • Radionuclide Contamination at Kazakhstan's Semipalatinsk Test Site
    Preprint UCRL-JC-143920 Radionuclide Contamination at Kazakhstan’s Semipalatinsk Test Site: Implications on Human and Ecological Health T.M. Carlsen, L.E. Peterson, B.A. Ulsh, C.A. Werner, K.L. Purvis, A.C. Sharber This article was submitted to Human and Ecological Risk Assessment (HERA) June 2001 Approved for public release; further dissemination unlimited DISCLAIMER This document was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor the University of California nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or the University of California. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or the University of California, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. This is a preprint of a paper intended for publication in a journal or proceedings. Since changes may be made before publication, this preprint is made available with the understanding that it will not be cited or reproduced without the permission of the author. Radionuclide Contamination at Kazakhstan’s Semipalatinsk Test Site: Implications on Human and Ecological Health Tina M.
    [Show full text]
  • Nuclear Risk Assessment : Central Asia After Independence
    FOI-R--1292--SE July 2004 ISSN 1650-1942 User report Björn Sandström Nuclear Risk Assessment: Central Asia after Independence NBC Defence SE-901 82 Umeå SWEDISH DEFENCE RESEARCH AGENCY FOI-R--1292--SE NBC Defence July 2004 SE-901 82 Umeå ISSN 1650-1942 User report Björn Sandström Nuclear Risk Assessment: Central Asia after Independence 2 Issuing organization Report number, ISRN Report type FOI – Swedish Defence Research Agency FOI-R--1292--SE User report NBC Defence Research area code SE-901 82 Umeå 3. NBC Defence and other hazardous substances Month year Project No. July 2004 A6131 Customers code 2. NBC Defence Research Sub area code 31 N research Author/s (editor/s) Project manager Björn Sandström Nils Olsson Approved by Åke Sellström Sponsoring agency Scientifically and technically responsible Nils Olsson Report title Nuclear Risk Assessment: Central Asia after Independence Abstract (not more than 200 words) From a nuclear weapons policy point-of-view, the Central Asian states, which formerly were part of the USSR, has created a lot positive, such as declaring the region as a nuclear-weapons-free zone, in their first decade of independence. The nuclear risks are still considerable, but in general the situation has greatly improved compared to 1991. Concerns regarding nuclear weapons have been eliminated. In addition, only a limited amount of weapons-grade nuclear material remains. Today, highly-enriched uranium and spent nuclear fuel elements are probably of most concern. With efforts by international assistance programs, that material now seems reasonably well-guarded. Industrial and medical radiation sources are also on the list of nuclear, or rather radiological, concerns in the region.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecological Problems of Modern Central Kazakhstan: Challenges and Possible Solutions
    E3S Web of Conferences 157, 03018 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202015703018 KTTI-2019 Ecological problems of modern central Kazakhstan: challenges and possible solutions Тurgai Alimbaev1, Zhanna Mazhitova2,*, Bibizhamal Omarova2, Bekzhan Kamzayev2, and Kuralai Atanakova³ 1Buketov Karaganda State University, City University, 28, Karaganda, Republic of Kazakhstan 2Astana Medical University, Mira Street, 49a, Nur Sultan, Republic of Kazakhstan ³National University of Arts, Avenue Tauelsіzdіk, 50, Nur Sultan, Republic of Kazakhstan Abstract. This article discusses issues related to the environmental problems in various sectors of the Central Kazakhstan’s economy at the present stage. It is emphasized that the level of environmental pollution is increasing along with industrial progress in coal, non-ferrous and ferrous metallurgy, chemistry, engineering, and the growth of the transport highways network and numerous communications. The authors of the article give examples of how the transition to market mechanisms of economic development generated, on the one hand, the growth of the republic’s powerful economic potential. On the other hand, the increase in industrial production with energy and resource-intensive production has led to a real threat of an environmental crisis in the region. It is concluded that the solution of the environmental problem is possible by preserving and restoring natural systems, a complete social transition to sustainable development by practical implementation of the environmental concept, including natural-resource, techno-economic, demographic and sociocultural aspects. According to the authors, these measures will contribute to the way out of the current environmental crisis, a radical improvement of the environment, will be the key to preserving the ecology of space.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Kazakhstan in the Global Anti-Nuclear Movement
    THE ROLE OF KAZAKHSTAN IN THE GLOBAL ANTI-NUCLEAR MOVEMENT Nurtas Janibekov Senior Research fellow of the Analytical Complex of the Library of the President of Kazakhstan The current stage of international relations and world economic situation is going through a complex historical period. This period is especially difficult because of the new political and military conflicts around the world. Nonetheless, we should admit, that it could be much more dangerous and threatening for the globe secure, if the growth of the nuclear program was not stopped in the last century. This year the world celebrates a very important date: 45th anniversary of the treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT. As we know, the Treaty entered into force on March 5, 1970. Today, more than 190 states have joined the Treaty. NPT is important because their mission includes preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, promoting cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament, according to the UN official information. However, the story of nuclear disarmament is not limited only by the activity of NPT. The world today knows how terrible and scary the consequences of the nuclear testing can be. Each nuclear testing left an unhealed scar on our Earth. One of the biggest such scars is situated in Kazakhstan: the Semipalatinsk Test Site or STS. It was the primary testing venue for the Soviet Union's nuclear weapons, located on the steppe in northeast of the country, not far from the Irtysh River and settlements.
    [Show full text]
  • Semipalatinsk
    KAZAKHSTAN SEMIPALATINSK ©Pierpaolo Mittica A karaoke bar in the city of Semey (formerly Semipalatinsk). Semipalatinsk The legacy of nuclear testing Prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the test site in Semipalatinsk (today Semey) in Kazakhstan saw the explosion of 456 nuclear warheads. On 29 August 2021 thirty years will have passed since the site’s closure: what has been the impact on the local environment and population of contamination on such a scale? The local population were arguably used as guinea pigs to understand the effects of radiation on humans. The nuclear fallout from the site directly affected around 200,000 inhabitants and involved almost two million people. Today life goes on alongside the challenge of a legacy that will have an impact for many years to come. #GENERALNEWS #ENVIRONMENT #HEALTH #SOCIALISSUES A model of the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site. Inside the Institute of Radiation Protection and Ecology in Kurchatov is a museum dedicated to the test site known also as The Polygon. Semey (formerly Semipalatinsk). Radioactive contamination from the test site has been the cause of numerous births defects, malformations and genetic mutations. The Institute of Radiation Safety and Ecology and Pathology at the Semey Medical University still houses a collection of malformed foetuses, the result of radiation from the test site. These have been conserved as a stark reminder for future generations. Girls leaving school in one of the main squares of the city of Kurchatov. Maria lives in the village of Chagan and suffered from breast cancer. Chagan is a small village located close to the test site and is heavily contaminated.
    [Show full text]
  • Environment and Development Nexus in Kazakhstan
    ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT NEXUS IN KAZAKHSTAN Environment and Development Nexus in Kazakhstan A series of UNDP publication in Kazakhstan, #UNDPKAZ 06 Almaty, 2004 1 ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT NEXUS IN KAZAKHSTAN Report materials could be reproduced in other publications, without prior permission of UNDP, provided proper reference is made to this publication. The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of UNDP. Printed in “LEM Printhouse” 78a Baitursynov Street Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan Phone/Fax: 7(3272) 922-651 2 ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT NEXUS IN KAZAKHSTAN Foreword by the Minister of Environmental Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan Dear Ladies and Gentlemen! In his speech at the World Summit for Sustainable Development, the President of Kazakhstan reminded the world community of the global scale of the processes that are underway, and called for prevention of irreversible harm to the environment in order to preserve the necessary life resources for our descendants. Environmental safety and sustainable development issues are of vital importance for Kazakhstan. Water resource deficit and significant land degradation, the Aral Sea disaster, the aftermath of the nuclear tests, accumulation of industrial waste, oil spills – all these problems are no longer fall under the category of environmental ones. Many of these problems are regional and even global. Coordinated interaction between the mankind and the environment and ensuring a safe environment are one of the priorities of the long-term Kazakhstan-2030 Strategy. It has clear-cut provisions: “...increase efforts in making our citizens healthy during their life time, and enjoying a healthy environment”.
    [Show full text]
  • Environment and Security / 1
    Ob Environment and Security / 1 Irtysh Perm Yekaterinburg Omsk zhniy Novgorod Kazan Tselinny (Kazsabton) Chelyabinsk Sem (Semipalatin Magnitogorsk Samara Volga Lira Aral Sea Region KAZAKHSTAN La Kapustin Balk Yar Azgyr Aral Sea akhan Ferghana K Valley Mailu Transforming risks into Transforming cooperation Caspian and Security Environment Say- Sea Aktau Utes UZBEKISTAN TAJ ERBAIJAN Baku TURKMENISTAN The case of Central Asia and South Eastern Europe 2 / Environment and Security The United Nations Environment Programme, as the world’s leading intergovernmental environmental organisation, is the authoritative source of knowledge on the current state of, and trends shaping the global environment. The mission of UNEP is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environ- ment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. The United Nations Development Programme is the UN´s Global Development Network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources which can help people build a better life. It operates in 166 countries, working with them on responses to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, the countries draw on the UNDP people and its wide range of partners. The UNDP network links and co-ordinates global and national efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. With 55 participating states, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is a prominent instrument for early warning, conflict prevention, conflict management and post-conflict rehabilitation in continental Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and North America. Since its beginnings in 1973, the OSCE has taken a comprehensive view of security, including the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms, economic and environmental co-operation, and political dialogue.
    [Show full text]
  • Initial Evaluation of the Radioecological Situation at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in the Republic of Kazakhstan
    36331S5 Initial evaluation of the radioecological situation at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in the Republic of Kazakhstan G. Voigt, N. Semiochkina Institut fur Strahlenschutz GSF-Bericht 10/98 GSF - Forschungszentrum fur Umwelt und Gesundheit 30-15 D Herausgeber: GSF - Forsehimgszentrum fur Umwelt und Gesundheit, GmbH ingolstadter LandstraRe 1 D-85764 Neuherberg Telefon 089/3187 -0 Telefax 089/3187 - 3372 Mitgiied der Hermann von Helmholiz-Gemeinschaft Deutseher Forschungszentren (HGF) © GSF-Forschungszentrum, 1998 ISSN 0721 - 1694 Gedruekt auf urnweltfreundlichem, chlorfrei gebleichtem Papier Parti THE RADIOECOLOGICAL SITUATION AT THE SEMIPALATINSK TEST SITE IN THE REPUBLIC OF KASAKHSTAN G. Voigt and N. Semiochkina GSF-Institut fur Strahlensdmte, Germany with contributions by S, Wright and B. Howard institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE), UK and H. Mehli and P Strand Norwegian Radiation Protection Agency (NRPA), Norway CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 5 2, SITE DESCRIPTION 6 2.1. Geography and Co-ordinates 2.2. Climate 2.3. Hydrology 2.4. Soils 2.5. Vegetation 2.6. Land use 2.7. Population 3, NUCLEAR TESTS 14 3.1. Nuclear tests 3.2. Isotopic composition 4. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION IS 4.1. General surveys of the STS 4.2. Experimental Field (Ground Zero) 4.3. Lake Balapan 4.4. Degelen mountains 5. RADIONUCLIDE TRANSFER IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE STS 29 5.1. A general survey of soil and vegetation contamination 5.2. Mobility in soil 5.3. Contamination of vegetation 5.4. Soil to vegetation uptake 5.5. Contamination of animal products 5.6. Transfer from plant to animals 6. EXPOSURE OF THE POPULATION 40 6.1. Activity intake and internal dose estimation 7, DISCUSSION 44 CURRENT INFORMATION DEFIC1ENCES 8.1.
    [Show full text]
  • Effects of the Semipalatinsk Test Site in an Independent Kazakhstan Claudia Segura Arcadia University, [email protected]
    Arcadia University ScholarWorks@Arcadia Faculty Curated Undergraduate Works Undergraduate Research Fall 2015 Effects of the Semipalatinsk Test Site in an Independent Kazakhstan Claudia Segura Arcadia University, [email protected] Arcadia University has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits ouy . Your story matters. Thank you. Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/undergrad_works Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation PS 201 Political Science Research Writing, Dr. Hilary Parsons-Dick; Historical & Political Studies; College of Arts & Sciences This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Undergraduate Research at ScholarWorks@Arcadia. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Curated Undergraduate Works by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@Arcadia. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Claudia Segura PS Research Writing Professor Dick 11/27/15 Effects of the Semipalatinsk Test Site in an Independent Kazakhstan Introduction Nuclear weapons testing has been put into practice by the United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, France, China, Pakistan, India, and North Korea (Takada 2004: 3). Although these countries all have different intentions in why they are testing these nuclear weapons, such testing has had grave affects to the region and the people that inhabit it. For example, the envi- ronment is destroyed and made uninhabitable. Radiation that is produced by the nuclear weapons causes illness and/or death within days after the weapon has been detonated (Lewis 2001). Dur- ing the Cold War, the Soviet Union conducted multiple nuclear tests within the Soviet republics, including present-day Kazakhstan.
    [Show full text]
  • Antinuclear Movements in the U.S. and Kazakhstan: a Cross-Cultural Analysis of Mass Communication Patterns Bakyt Toptayeva Iowa State University
    Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2018 Antinuclear movements in the U.S. and Kazakhstan: A cross-cultural analysis of mass communication patterns Bakyt Toptayeva Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of the History Commons, Journalism Studies Commons, and the Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Toptayeva, Bakyt, "Antinuclear movements in the U.S. and Kazakhstan: A cross-cultural analysis of mass communication patterns" (2018). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 16679. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/16679 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Antinuclear movements in the U.S. and Kazakhstan: A cross-cultural analysis of mass communication patterns by Bakyt Toptayeva A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Major: Journalism and Mass Communication Program of Study Committee: Tracy Lucht, Major Professor Daniela Dimitrova Rohit Mehta The student author, whose presentation of the scholarship herein was approved by the program of study committee, is solely responsible for the content of this thesis. The Graduate College will ensure this thesis is globally accessible and will not permit alterations after a degree is conferred. Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2018 Copyright © Bakyt Toptayeva, 2018. All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Fallout from Nuclear Weapons Tests and Cancer Risks
    A reprint from American Scientist the magazine of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society This reprint is provided for personal and noncommercial use. For any other use, please send a request to Permissions, American Scientist, P.O. Box 13975, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, U.S.A., or by electronic mail to [email protected]. ©Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society and other rightsholders Fallout from Nuclear Weapons Tests and Cancer Risks Exposures 50 years ago still have health implications today that will continue into the future Steven L. Simon, André Bouville and Charles E. Land rior to 1950, only limited consider- weapons in the atmosphere. By the ear- explosive power of 440 megatons of Pation was given to the health im- ly 1960s, there was no place on Earth TNT (see Figure 2). pacts of worldwide dispersion of ra- where the signature of atmospheric The earliest concern about health ef- dioactivity from nuclear testing. But in nuclear testing could not be found in fects from exposure to fallout focused on the following decade, humanity began soil, water and even polar ice. possible genetic alterations among off- to significantly change the global ra- Cancer investigators who specialize in spring of the exposed. However, herita- diation environment by testing nuclear radiation effects have, over the interven- ble effects of radiation exposure have not ing decades, looked for another signature been observed from decades of follow-up of nuclear testing—an increase in cancer studies of populations exposed either to Steven L. Simon received a Ph.D. in radiological health rates. And although it is difficult to de- medical x rays or to the direct gamma ra- sciences from Colorado State University in 1985.
    [Show full text]