Studies of Health Effects from Nuclear Testing near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, Kazakhstan

Article Sidebar

PDF
Published: May 8, 2015
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5195/cajgh.2015.127
Keywords:
Semipalantinsk nuclear test site Kazakhstan radiation health environmental health

Main Article Content

Bernd Grosche
Federal Office for Radiation Protection, Department of Radiation Protection and Health
Tamara Zhunussova
Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, Department of Monitoring and Research, Osteras
Kazbek Apsalikov
Scientific Research Institute for Radiation Medicine and Ecology, Semey
Ausrele Kesminiene
International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon

Abstract

The nuclear bomb testing conducted at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan is of great importance for today’s radiation protection research, particularly in the area of low dose exposures. This type of radiation is of particular interest due to the lack of research in this field and how it impacts population health. In order to understand the possible health effects of nuclear bomb testing, it is important to determine what studies have been conducted on the effects of low dose exposure and dosimetry, and evaluate new epidemiologic data and biological material collected from populations living in proximity to the test site. With time, new epidemiological data has been made available, and it is possible that these data may be linked to biological samples. Next to linking existing and newly available data to examine health effects, the existing dosimetry system needs to be expanded and further developed to include residential areas, which have not yet been taken into account. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of previous studies evaluating the health effects of nuclear testing, including some information on dosimetry efforts, and pointing out directions for future epidemiologic studies.

Article Details

How to Cite
Grosche, B., Zhunussova, T., Apsalikov, K., & Kesminiene, A. (2015). Studies of Health Effects from Nuclear Testing near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, Kazakhstan. Central Asian Journal of Global Health, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.5195/cajgh.2015.127
Issue
Vol. 4 No. 1 (2015)
Section
Reviews

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
  2. Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
  3. The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
    1. Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
    with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
  4. The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  5. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
  6. Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
  7. The Author represents and warrants that:
    1. the Work is the Author’s original work;
    2. the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
    3. the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
    4. the Work has not previously been published;
    5. the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
    6. the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
  8. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.

Revised 7/16/2018. Revision Description: Removed outdated link. 

References

Mikhailov VN. Nuclear weapon tests and nuclear explosions for peaceful purposes in the USSR 1949-1990. 1996; http://docs.nrdc.org/nuclear/files/nuc_10009601a_173.pdf. Accessed May 6, 2015.

Nugent RW, Zhumadilov ZS, Gusev BI, Hoshi M. Health effects of radiation associated with nuclear weapons testing at the Semipalatinsk Test Site. Hiroshima, Japan: Nakamoto Sogo Printing; 2000.

Matuschenko AM, Tsyrkov GA, Chernyshov AK, et al. Chronological list of nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Test Site and their radiation effects. In: Shapiro CS, Kiselev VI, Zaitsev EV, eds. Nuclear Tests. Vol 36: Springer Berlin Heidelberg; 1998:89-97.

MELODI. Multidisciplinary European Low Dose Initiative. 2012; http://melodi-online.eu/. Accessed May 6, 2015.

Salomaa S, Prise KM, Atkinson MJ, et al. State of the art in research into the risk of low dose radiation exposure--findings of the fourth MELODI workshop. J Radiol Prot. 2013;33(3):589-603.

Gusev BI, Abylkassimova ZN, Apsalikov KN. The Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: A first assessment of the radiological situation and the test-related radiation doses in the surrounding territories. Radiat Environ Biophys. 1997;36(3):201-204.

Stephan G, Pressl S, Koshpessova G, Gusev BI. Analysis of FISH-painted chromosomes in individuals living near the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. Radiat Res. 2001;155(6):796-800.

Dubrova YE, Bersimbaev RI, Djansugurova LB, et al. Nuclear weapons tests and human germline mutation rate. Science. 2002;295(5557):1037.

Salomaa S, Lindholm C, Tankimanova MK, et al. Stable chromosome aberrations in the lymphocytes of a population living in the vicinity of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. Radiat Res. 2002;158(5):591-596.

Lindholm C, Murphy BP, Bigbee WL, et al. Glycophorin A somatic cell mutations in a population living in the proximity of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. Radiat Res. 2004;162(2):164-170.

Tanaka K, Iida S, Takeichi N, et al. Unstable-type chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes from individuals living near Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. J Radiat Res. 2006;47(Suppl A):A159-A164.

World Health Organization (WHO), International Agency for Research on Cancer. SEMI-NUC: Prospective cohort study of residents near the Semipalantinsk nuclear test site - feasibility assessment. 2015; http://semi-nuc.iarc.fr/. Accessed May 6, 2015.

Shoikhet Y, Loborev V, Sudakov V, Kiselev VI, Zelenov V, Azarov L. Fallout from nuclear tests: Dosimetry in the Altai region. Radiat Environ Biophys. 2002;41(1):57-60.

Kurakina NN, Sekerbaev AK, Gusev BI, Ospanov EK. Assessment of absorbed and effective radiation doses in the population living on the radioactive traces of nuclear tests. Methodological guidelines for experts in radiation medicine and ecology. Paper presented at: Semipalatinsk 2000; Almaty.

Gordeev K, Vasilenko I, Lebedev A, et al. Fallout from nuclear tests: Dosimetry in Kazakhstan. Radiat Environ Biophys. 2002;41(1):61-67.

Gordeev K, Shinkarev S, Ilyin L, et al. Retrospective dose assessment for the population living in areas of local fallout from the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site Part I: External exposure. J Radiat Res. 2006;47(Suppl A):A129-A136.

Simon SL, Baverstock KF, Lindholm C, World Health Organization, Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority in Finland, National Cancer Institute. A summary of evidence on radiation exposures received near to the Semipalatinsk nuclear weapons test site in Kazakhstan. Health Phys. 2003;84(6):718-725.

Simon SL, Beck HL, Gordeev K, et al. External dose estimates for Dolon village: application of the U.S./Russian joint methodology. J Radiat Res. 2006;47(Suppl A):A143-A147.

Stepanenko VF, Hoshi M, Bailiff IK, et al. Around Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: progress of dose estimations relevant to the consequences of nuclear tests (a summary of 3rd Dosimetry Workshop on the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site area, RIRBM, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, 9-11 of March, 2005). J Radiat Res. 2006;47(Suppl A):A1-A13.

Bul'bulian MA, Tokareva GD. Descriptive epidemiological study of malignant neoplasms in the Semipalatinsk district of the Kazakh S. S. R. Vestn Akad Med Nauk SSSR. 1991(7):59-63.

Gusev BI, Rosenson RI, Abylkassimova ZN. The Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: A first analysis of solid cancer incidence (selected sites) due to test-related radiation. Radiat Environ Biophys. 1998;37(3):209-214.

Zaridze DG, Li N, Men T, Duffy SW. Childhood cancer incidence in relation to distance from the former nuclear testing site in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan. Int J Cancer. 1994;59(4):471-475.

Bauer S, Gusev BI, Pivina LM, Apsalikov KN, Grosche B. Radiation exposure due to local fallout from Soviet atmospheric nuclear weapons testing in Kazakhstan: Solid cancer mortality in the Semipalatinsk historical cohort, 1960-1999. Radiat Res. 2005;164(4 Pt 1):409-419.

Bauer S, Gusev BI, Pivina LM, Apsalikov KN, Grosche B. Esophagus cancer and radiation exposure due to nuclear test fallout: An analysis based on the data of the Semipalatinsk historical cohort, 1960-1999. Radiat Biol Radioecol. 2006;46(5):611-618.

Grosche B, Lackland DT, Land CE, et al. Mortality from cardiovascular diseases in the semipalatinsk historical cohort, 1960-1999, and its relationship to radiation exposure. Radiat Res. 2011;176(5):660-669.

Land CE, Zhumadilov Z, Gusev BI, et al. Ultrasound-detected thyroid nodule prevalence and radiation dose from fallout. Radiat Res. 2008;169(4):373-383.

Apsalikov K, Muldagaliev T, Apsalikov R, Serikkankyzy S, Zholambaeva Z. Radiation risk factors in incidence and mortality among exposed individuals of East Kazakhstan. CAJGH. 2013;2(Suppl).

Mudie NY, Gusev BI, Pivina LM, et al. Sex ratio in the offspring of parents with chronic radiation exposure from nuclear testing in Kazakhstan. Radiat Res. 2007;168(5):600-607.

Mudie NY, Swerdlow AJ, Gusev BI, et al. Twinning in the offspring of parents with chronic radiation exposure from nuclear testing in Kazakhstan. Radiat Res. 2010;173(6):829-836.

Katayama H, Apsalikov KN, Gusev BI, et al. An attempt to develop a database for epidemiological research in Semipalatinsk. J Radiat Res. 2006;47(Suppl A):A189-A197.

Kyōkai HE. Study on health effects of radiation on residents near the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: The final report of the 2001-2009 study. Tokyo, Japan: Radiation Effects Association; 2010.

The Ministry of Public Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Research Institute for Radiation Medicine and Ecology. 2013; http://de.slideshare.net/IRPslideshare/inst-radiology-med. Accessed May 6, 2015.

STORE Database. STORE Database. 2014; http://www.rbstore.eu/. Accessed May 6, 2015.

Akleyev AV, Grosche B, Gusev BI, et al. Developing additional resources. Radiat Environ Biophys. 2002;41(1):13-18.

Gilbert ES, Land CE, Simon SL. Health effects from fallout. Health Phys. 2002;82(5):726-735.

Most read articles by the same author(s)