Gene mutations in Semipalatinsk residents are inherited
Mutations caused by radiation from nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site are inherited. This is evidenced by the results of research by an international group of scientists from the UK, Finland and Kazakhstan.
Representatives of three generations from 40 families were checked. The scientists compared the results of blood tests and genetic materials with the data they received in Finland and Britain. Scientists have come to the conclusion that the radiation of the first nuclear tests reached through generations - to the grandchildren of those who survived these explosions.
At the same time, the level of genetic mutations among residents of the Semipalatinsk region is one and a half to two times higher than that of people in other regions of Kazakhstan.
What are the scientists of the Semipalatinsk Medical Academy talking about
speaking at international conferences
entitled “Ecology. Radiation. Health"
… During three years (1957 - 1959), the health status of 3564 residents of Abay, Beskaragai and Chubartau districts was examined. The subjects had a number of clinical manifestations that were not found in other control areas. For example, hemorrhages on the mucous membranes, changes in the skin, peripheral blood, increased fragility of blood vessels, liver dysfunction, cataracts in young people. (B. ATCHABAROV)
… The mutational biological effect of ionizing radiation causes genetic defects in subsequent generations. By 1970, the incidence of malignant tumors in the Semipalatinsk region was higher than the baseline (1951). The excess tumor incidence due to radiation was studied in two cohorts of the population, which were continuously monitored since 1960. (KazNIIIRBE)
… In the Semipalatinsk region, malignant formations occupy the 2nd place among the reasons for disability, with women accounting for 58%, and men 41%. (J. BAZARBEKOV)
… The key issue in assessing the consequences of nuclear explosions is the issue of reconstructing the dose loads received by the victims after a certain period of time. For the formation of high-risk groups and rehabilitation of the population, scientific research has begun using two modern methods of biodosimetry - cytogenetic and EPR-enamel of teeth in chronically exposed population. (G. ABILDINOVA)
… Cytogenetic studies have shown significant damage to the gene apparatus of leukocytes, which shows the mutational effect of radiation, increased abnormal and malignant transformation of various cells. (M. ZHANGELOVA)
… One of the methods for assessing the long-term consequences of the influence of small doses of radiation is micronucleus analysis in peripheral blood erythrocytes. The micronucleus test, which is a marker of radiation damage, made it possible to reveal an increased content of micronuclei in persons with coronary pathology from areas close to SNTS (M. ALIYAKPAROV)
… We have identified an extraordinary variety of nosological forms of fetal malformations (in pregnant women), which undoubtedly have a genetic predisposition as a consequence of the unfavorable environmental situation in the region (G. ANTONOVA)
… In recent years, the infant mortality rate in Semipalatinsk has not only not decreased, but even increased. The state of immunity in newborns has its own characteristics. Disharmony of cellular-humoral cooperation was noted (V. Dolinaya)
… During the last 15 years, the indicators of the main mental illnesses in the territory adjacent to the SNTP were studied. A tendency towards an increase in the incidence of oligophrenia and neurotic disorders has been established (B. VLADIMIROV)
… We examined 1,910 women in Abai district, of whom 667 (35.5%) were diagnosed with thyroid pathology, 826 in Abralinsky district, of which 285 (34.7%) with pathology. There are nodular forms, adenomas, cysts. In the zone of extreme radiation risk, thyroid cancer and chronic autoimmune thyroiditis predominate, and the indices of cellular immunity are inhibited. We noted the fact that the increase in thyroid diseases corresponds to the age groups 41-50 and 51-60 years. These women were during the period of ground explosions as children (M. ESPENBETOVA)
… During 1966 - 1996. In the clinics of Semipalatinsk and Ust-Kamenogorsk, 5,615 patients were operated on for single or multiple thyroid nodules. The total number of surgeries has increased especially after 1982. A tendency towards an increase in the frequency of cancer among young patients was also revealed (Zh. Zhumadilov)
Thermal changes that occurred at the Semipalatinsk test site in Kazakhstan threaten the environment of the republic and adjacent territories
“As a result of underground explosions, a large deposit of radioactive waste was formed. In 50 or 100 years, they may have a corresponding impact on the environment,”said the director of the Space Research Institute (IKI), academician Umirzak Sultangazin.
The thermal zone on the territory of the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNP) was first discovered in 1997 using satellite images, Interfax reports. It covers an area of about 20 sq. km.
In this zone, the soil temperature is 10-15 degrees higher than in the areas adjacent to the territory. In winter, the abnormal spot is never covered with snow.
According to scientists, the thermal zone may shift, and has already been recorded outside the polygon, in Siberia.
Currently, scientists are considering different versions of the origin of the anomalous zone, but at the moment, none of the versions have "concrete confirmation."
Academician Sultangazin said that he is inclined to the version that this area was formed at the site of tectonic changes that occurred as a result of underground nuclear explosions.
Thermal changes pose a certain danger, the "leakage" of radioactive waste is not excluded.
Over the forty years of its existence, 470 explosions were carried out at the world's largest nuclear test site, Semipalatinsk. Among them, 354 are underground, 90 are in the air and 26 are on the surface of the Earth. At the same time, underground tests were accompanied by earthquakes that reached 3 points. The total power of the explosions was 17 thousand kilotons. It was at the Semipalatinsk test site that the first Soviet nuclear bomb was tested.
The landfill was closed in accordance with the decree of the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev in 1991. In 1992, the National Nuclear Center was established on the basis of the former test site.