Publications (23)29.25 Total impact
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Article: Current levels and distribution of 137Cs and Pu isotopes in soil on the Kazakhstan territory of the Kazakhstan-Chinese border: Semipalatinsk and Lob Nor nuclear test sites detonation
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ABSTRACT: More than 100 soil samples were collected from 46 sites along roads and some settlements connecting Alma-Ata to Semipalatinsk City of the Kazakhstan-Chinese border and analyzed for 137Cs and Pu isotopes (238Pu, 239Pu and 240Pu). The mean 137Cs inventory at each site was within the range of 1,000-3,000 Bq/m2 for most of the sites. The 239,240Pu concentration and its inventories were observed in the wide range of 0.18-2.6 Bq/kg and 28-677 Bq/m2, respectively. At the most northern sites in the areas studied, higher239,240Pu inventories were found corresponding to the increase of 239,240Pu fraction which was not leached by hot digestion with conc. HNO3+H2O2. The 239,240Pu/137Cs activity ratios for the soil samples from the southern areas lie in the narrow range of 0.016–0.039 (most of data being 0.02–0.03), probably indicative of global fallout origin. On the other hand, a little or several higher ratios (0.05 to 0.22) were found for soil samples from the northern areas. These higher ratios demonstrate strongly that there was additional Pu input of local fallout due to the atomic explosions. From 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios measured, contribution of local fallout 239,240Pu, probably from the SNTS, was found to be higher (60–86%) in the sites around the northern areas than the southern ones. The present data might serve not only as a current baseline information on distribution and contamination levels of the long-lived fallout radionuclides in the Kazakhstan areas of the Kazakhstan-Chinese border, but also as a aid of selection of control area for epidemiological projects.Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 04/2012; 261(3):533-545. · 1.52 Impact Factor -
Article: Plutonium isotopes and 137Cs in Dolon settlement near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site: About 50 years after the first nuclear weapon testing
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ABSTRACT: Recent controversies concerning the radiation doses for populations living in the village of Dolon due to the nuclear explosions carried out at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) have encouraged us to evaluate in more detail the levels and distributions of residual long-lived radionuclides137Cs and Pu isotopes (238Pu,239,240Pu) in soils within the village. Soil core samples up to a depth of about 30 cm and/or 100 cm were collected at 25 sites and subjected to analysis of 137Cs and Pu isotopes. The inventories of 137Cs and 239,240Pu were found to be in the wide range of 790-10,310 and 530-14,320 Bq/m2, respectively. Sequential leaching of Pu from the soil showed that more than ca. 80% of the 239,240Pu was not leached by hot digestion with conc. HNO3 + H2O2, indicating the presence of Pu associated with fused silicates. Further, the presence of hot-particles from the Pu contaminants by a-track radiography technique using CR-39 polycarbonate was confirmed in the soil, even at present, after about 50 years from the first nuclear weapon testing.Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 04/2012; 260(3):543-555. · 1.52 Impact Factor -
Article: EPR dose reconstruction of two Kazakh villages near the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site
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ABSTRACT: Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) dose reconstruction has been performed on archived tooth samples from residents of two villages near the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakstan. The context of this work is a large multidisciplinary study of thyroid disease prevalence and radiation dose among long-term residents of villages near that nuclear test site, in which EPR is used for biodosimetric validation of the gamma-ray component of dose reconstruction algorithms applied to the data for various villages whose residents were exposed to radioactive fallout during 1949–1962, the period of above-ground atomic bomb testing. The tooth samples, nine from the village of Kainar and 23 from the village of Znamenka, were extracted in 1964 and 1967, respectively, and stored indoors in closed boxes in Semipalatinsk. According to provided information, some time in the past, the teeth from Kainar were heated to 80°C for one day. Experiments carried out on 12 teeth from US sources to determine the effects of long-term storage and heat treatment found that EPR assay findings were not compromised for storage times less than 35 years and annealing at temperatures below 200°C. For tooth enamel samples prepared from molars and premolars the average reconstructed gamma dose was 390±70 mGy for Kainar residents and 95±40 mGy for Znamenka residents.Applied Magnetic Resonance 04/2012; 22(3):347-356. · 0.75 Impact Factor -
Article: Spatial distribution of soil contamination by 137Cs and 239,240Pu in the village of Dolon near the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: new information on traces of the radioactive plume from the 29 August 1949 nuclear test.
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ABSTRACT: The village of Dolon located about 60 km northeast from the border of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site in Kazakhstan is one of the most affected inhabited settlements as a result of nuclear tests by the former USSR. Radioactive contamination in Dolon was mainly caused by the first USSR nuclear test on 29 August 1949. As part of the efforts to reconstruct the radiation dose in Dolon, Cs and Pu in soil samples collected from 26 locations in the vicinity of and within the village were measured to determine the width and position of the center-axis of the radioactive plume that passed over the village from the 29 August 1949 nuclear test. Measured soil inventories of Cs and Pu were plotted as a function of the distance from the supposed center-axis of the plume. A clear shape similar to a Gaussian function was observed in their spatial distributions with each maximum around a center-axis. It was suggested that the plume width that contaminated Dolon was at most 10 km and the real center-axis of the radioactive plume passed 0.7-0.9 km north of the supposed centerline. A peak-like shape with the maximum near the center-axis was also observed in the spatial distribution of the Pu/Cs activity ratio, which may reflect the fractionation effect between Pu and Cs during the deposition process. These results support the recently reported results. The data obtained here will provide useful information on the efforts to estimate radiation dose in Dolon as reliably as possible. Health Phys. 94(4):328-337; 2008.Health Physics 05/2008; 94(4):328-37. · 1.68 Impact Factor -
Article: Ultrasound-detected thyroid nodule prevalence and radiation dose from fallout.
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ABSTRACT: Settlements near the Semipalatinsk Test Site (SNTS) in northeastern Kazakhstan were exposed to radioactive fallout during 1949-1962. Thyroid disease prevalence among 2994 residents of eight villages was ascertained by ultrasound screening. Malignancy was determined by cytopathology. Individual thyroid doses from external and internal radiation sources were reconstructed from fallout deposition patterns, residential histories and diet, including childhood milk consumption. Point estimates of individual external and internal dose averaged 0.04 Gy (range 0-0.65) and 0.31 Gy (0-9.6), respectively, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.46. Ultrasound-detected thyroid nodule prevalence was 18% and 39% among males and females, respectively. It was significantly and independently associated with both external and internal dose, the main study finding. The estimated relative biological effectiveness of internal compared to external radiation dose was 0.33, with 95% confidence bounds of 0.09-3.11. Prevalence of papillary cancer was 0.9% and was not significantly associated with radiation dose. In terms of excess relative risk per unit dose, our dose-response findings for nodule prevalence are comparable to those from populations exposed to medical X rays and to acute radiation from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings.Radiation Research 05/2008; 169(4):373-83. · 2.68 Impact Factor -
Article: Individual dose reconstruction among residents living in the vicinity of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site using EPR spectroscopy of tooth enamel.
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ABSTRACT: Individual accumulated doses were determined by EPR spectroscopy of tooth enamel for 26 adult persons residing in territories adjacent to the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS). The absorbed dose values due to radiation from nuclear tests were obtained after subtracting the contribution of natural background radiation from the total accumulated dose. The determined dose values ranged up to 250 mGy, except for one person from Semipalatinsk city with a measured dose of 2.8 +/- 0.4 Gy. Increased dose values were determined for the individuals whose teeth were formed before 1962, the end of the atmospheric nuclear tests. These values were found to be significantly larger than those obtained for a group of younger residents of heavily exposed territories and the residents of territories not exposed to radioactive fallout. These increased dose values are consistent with those based on officially registered data for the Northeastern part of Kazakstan adjacent to SNTS, which was exposed to high levels of radioactive fallout from nuclear tests in period 1949-1962.Health Physics 09/2002; 83(2):183-96. · 1.68 Impact Factor -
Article: Developing additional resources.
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ABSTRACT: We briefly outline existing information about several cohorts in the Southern Urals, Semipalatinsk and the Altai regions, in addition to those discussed in the companion papers in this issue of Radiation and Environmental Biophysics. These include: (a) the East-Urals Radiation Trace (EURT) cohort of individuals (exposed to fallout from the September 1957 explosion of a storage tank containing liquid radioactive waste from the Mayak Production Association) as well as their offspring, (b) the cohort of exposed parents (i.e. workers of the Mayak facility) and their children, having been established with the aim of examining reproductive health, and (c) several additional cohorts in the Altai region and in Semipalatinsk, where investment of additional resources would greatly facilitate the progress of ongoing studies. Furthermore, we include a brief description of the Russian Human Radiobiology Tissue Repository, which has been established in the city of Ozyorsk and is in the process of making an inventory of autopsied tissues from 700 deceased Mayak workers and of collecting and storing donations of blood and tumor tissues from the members of the Mayak workers cohort currently residing in the city.Biophysik 04/2002; 41(1):13-8. · 1.70 Impact Factor -
Article: Cause-of-death registers in radiation-contaminated areas of the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan.
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ABSTRACT: Since the early 1990s, information on radiation-exposed populations other than those exposed from the Chernobyl accident in 1986 has become increasingly available for international scientific research. It is essential to understand how the cohorts of exposed populations have been defined and what mechanisms can be used to study their health outcomes. Different international scientific research collaborations currently investigate four population groups chronically exposed to ionizing radiation during the late 1940s and early 1950s in the Russian Federation and in Kazakhstan. In this framework, collaborations have been established to develop cause-of-death registers in each of these four areas for future mortality follow-up purposes with the aim of studying the health effects of ionizing radiation. The emphasis of this effort is on assessing the information sources available, the mechanisms of data collection and coding, and the data quality and completeness of the information collected. One of the major challenges is the harmonization of all these aspects between the four different centers to the extent possible, taking into account that much of the actual data has been collected over many decades.Biophysik 04/2002; 41(1):5-11. · 1.70 Impact Factor -
Article: Fallout from nuclear tests: health effects in Kazakhstan.
Biophysik 04/2002; 41(1):75-80. · 1.70 Impact Factor -
Article: Some aspects of environmental radioactivity around the former Soviet Union"""s Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: Local fallout Pu in Ust"""-Kamenogorsk district
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ABSTRACT: The 137Cs, 238Pu and 239,240Pu activity concentrations were determined together with the atomic ratios of 240Pu/239Pu for the soil samples at 19 sites from the Ust"""-Kamenogorsk district, located more than 300 km east of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNTS). The mean areal deposition of 137Cs ranged from 1,500 to 4,100 Bq/m2. However, some hot spot-like areas showing high concentrations of 5,500–7,700 Bq/m2 were foundat some sites within the city. The 239,240Pu levels ranged from <50 to 510 Bq/m2, however most of them ranged between 120–200 Bq/m2. These levels are nearly the same as those around the Semipalatinsk City. At most of the sites within the city and its adjacent areas, both nuclides were found in the soil layers up to a depth of 30 cm. A fraction of 20–50% of 239,240Pu was not leached by hot digestion with concentrated HNO3 containing a small amount of H2O2. Generally, such tightly bound fraction showed a trend to decrease with increasing distance from the SNTS. The fraction of these radionuclides that were deposited in Ust"""-Kamenogorsk district from global and from SNTS fallouts have been determined using the 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios in both Pu fractions: one which can be leached with hot HNO3 + H2O2 and another that is a non-leacheable for each soil layer of core samples. As a result a fraction of 21–80% (mostly 30–60%) of total 239,240Pu were found to be due to the local fallout of Pu from the SNTS debris. For 137Cs, the contribution (mostly 10–20%) of local fallout from the SNTS were estimated to be far lower as compared to 239,240Pu.Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 01/2002; 252(2):373-394. · 1.52 Impact Factor -
Article: Analysis of FISH-painted chromosomes in individuals living near the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site.
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ABSTRACT: The Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (STS) is located in the Republic of Kazakhstan. A total of 498 nuclear weapons tests were conducted in this area between 1949 and 1989. The radiation exposure to people who lived close to the STS resulted mostly from the above-ground explosions. Blood samples for chromosome analysis were obtained from 10 subjects who were born before the first explosion in August 1949 and lived continuously in the village of Dolon. The individual calculated effective doses were about 3 Sv. Chromosomes 2, 4 and 8 were painted by means of the FISH technique. In total, 22,240 cells were analyzed. The mean frequency of translocations in the subjects who were irradiated during childhood (2.4/1000 cells) did not differ from the control value (3.1 translocations/1000 cells). It is assumed, therefore, that the calculated physical dose is too high. A significantly increased level of complex cells was determined, however, and this was assumed to have been induced in circulating lymphocytes. The reason for this may be the incorporation of radionuclides from fallout which were not distributed homogeneously within the body, but accumulated instead in tissues that were well supplied with peripheral blood.Radiation Research 07/2001; 155(6):796-800. · 2.68 Impact Factor -
Article: Thyroid abnormality trend over time in northeastern regions of Kazakstan, adjacent to the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: a case review of pathological findings for 7271 patients.
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ABSTRACT: From 1949 through 1989 nuclear weapons testing carried out by the former Soviet Union at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) resulted in local fallout affecting the residents of Semipalatinsk, Ust-Kamenogorsk and Pavlodar regions of Kazakstan. To investigate the possible relationship between radiation exposure and thyroid gland abnormalities, we conducted a case review of pathological findings of 7271 urban and rural patients who underwent surgery from 1966-96. Of the 7271 patients, 761 (10.5%) were men, and 6510 (89.5%) were women. The age of the patients varied from 15 to 90 years. Overall, a diagnosis of adenomatous goiter (most frequently multinodular) was found in 1683 patients (63.4%) of Semipalatinsk region, in 2032 patients (68.6%) of Ust-Kamenogorsk region and in 1142 patients (69.0%) of Pavlodar region. In the period 1982-96, as compared before, there was a noticeable increase in the number of cases of Hashimoto's thyroiditis and thyroid cancer. Among histological forms of thyroid cancer, papillary (48.1%) and follicular (33.1%) predominated in the Semipalatinsk region. In later periods (1987-96), an increased frequency of abnormal cases occurred among patients less than 40 years of age, with the highest proportion among patients below 20 in Semipalatinsk and Ust-Kamenogorsk regions of Kazakstan. Given the positive findings of a significant cancer-period interaction, and a significant trend for the proportion of cancer to increase over time, we recommend more detailed and etiologic studies of thyroid disease among populations exposed to radiation fallout from the SNTS in comparison to non-exposed population.Journal of Radiation Research 04/2000; 41(1):35-44. · 1.68 Impact Factor -
Article: High incidence of micronuclei in lymphocytes from residents of the area near the Semipalatinsk nuclear explosion test site.
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ABSTRACT: The Semipalatinsk area is highly contaminated with radioactive fallout from 40 years of continuous nuclear testing. The biological effects on human health in this area have not been studied. Significant remaining radioactivities include long-lived radioisotopes of 238,239,400Pu, 137Cs and 90Sr. To evaluate the long-term biological effects of the radioactive fallout, the incidence of micronuclei in lymphocytes from residents of the area was observed. Blood was obtained from 10 residents (5 females and 5 males, aged 47 to 55 years old) from each of the 3 areas of Znamenka, Dolon and Semipalatinsk, which are about 50-150 km from the nuclear explosion test site. For micronucleus assay, PHA-stimulated lymphocytes were cultured for 72 h and cytochalasin B was added at 44 h for detecting binuclear lymphocytes. Five thousand binuclear lymphocytes in each resident were scored. The means of micronucleus counts in 1,000 lymphocytes in residents of Semipalatinsk, Dolon and Znamenka were 16.3, 12.6, and 7.80, respectively, which were higher than those of the normal Japanese persons (4.66). These values were equivalent to the results obtained from 0.187-0.47 Gy of chronic exposure to gamma-rays at a dose rate of 0.02 cGy/min. The high incidence of micronuclei in residents of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site area was mainly caused by internal exposure rather than external exposure received for the past 40 years.Journal of Radiation Research 04/2000; 41(1):45-54. · 1.68 Impact Factor -
Book: Health effects of radiation associated with nuclear weapons testing at the Semipalatinsk Test Site.
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ABSTRACT: With the breakup of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan became an independent country on December 16, 1991. The Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan is known as a place of weeping and sorrow. This was the “uninhabited” region chosen by Stalin to be the Soviet Union’s Polygon (military nuclear test site). Here, from 1949 to 1989, the earth trembled and the atmosphere convulsed from the force of 459 nuclear explosions. For years, what happened at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site and its effects on human health and the environment were treated as classified information. Concern over the effect of ionizing radiation did not end with the Cold War. The issue remains critical as nations continue to develop and test nuclear weapons, dispose of highly radioactive waste, clean up contaminated weapons production facilities, construct or decommission nuclear power facilities, and dismantle obsolescent nuclear weapons. Furthermore, the use of radioactive materials also continues to expand in the fields of medical diagnosis and treatment as well as in scientific research. We hope that the data from these studies will be useful in increasing the realization of the harmful effects of radiation exposure on human health and the necessity of new ideas relating to the complex nature of radiation injuries and to potential prevention, assessment, and treatment strategies.edited by R.W. Nugent, Z. Zhumadilov, B.I. Gusev, and M. Hoshi, 03/2000; Nakamoto Sogo Printing Co., Ltd. 5-1-1 Ozu, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, 732-0802 Japan.. -
Article: External doses of residents near Semipalatinsk nuclear test site.
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ABSTRACT: Accumulated external radiation doses of residents near the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site of the former USSR are presented as a results of study by the thermoluminescence technique for bricks sampled at several settlements in 1995 and 1996. The external doses that we evaluated from exposed bricks were up to about 100 cGy for resident. The external doses at several points in the center of Semipalatinsk City ranged from a background level to 60 cGy, which was remarkably high compared with the previously reported values based on military data.Journal of Radiation Research 01/2000; 40(4):337-44. · 1.68 Impact Factor -
Article: The Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: a first analysis of solid cancer incidence (selected sites) due to test-related radiation.
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ABSTRACT: Since 1956, cancer incidences have been analysed in several rayons of the Semipalatinsk oblast, with cross-sectional analyses being conducted every 5 years. Data on different tumor localizations were recorded within a heavily contaminated so-called main area of nine villages (estimated average effective equivalent dose about 2000 mSv) and a so-called control area (estimated average effective equivalent dose about 70 mSv), each including approximately 10000 persons. Up to 1970, the excess cancer incidence in the exposed villages was observed to have increased; after 1970, a decrease was noted, followed by a second increase in the late 1980s. The main sites of excess cancer included the esophagus, stomach, and liver. Up to 1970, the esophagus cancer incidence was predominant, but it decreased thereafter, while the incidence of stomach and liver cancers increased. The second peak of excess cancer rates was mainly due to lung, breast, and thyroid carcinomas.Biophysik 11/1998; 37(3):209-14. · 1.70 Impact Factor -
Article: Environmental radiation dose in Semipalatinsk area near nuclear test site.
Health Physics 10/1997; 73(3):524-7. · 1.68 Impact Factor -
Article: The Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: a first assessment of the radiological situation and the test-related radiation doses in the surrounding territories.
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ABSTRACT: As a result of atmospheric nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site 'Polygon', adjacent territories were contaminated by radionuclide fallout. The population of some districts in the Semipalatinsk oblast were exposed to elevated levels of radiation. Contamination and exposure mostly resulted from early atmospheric tests. The radiological situation of the Semipalatinsk oblast is described. Effective dose estimates due to external and internal exposure attributable to the 1949 and 1953 tests in villages near the Polygon range from 70 mSv to 4470 mSv.Biophysik 10/1997; 36(3):201-4. · 1.70 Impact Factor -
Article: セミパラチンクス核実験場周辺地域の放射能汚染状況 : ドロン、モスティク、チェリョムシキ、ボデネ集落
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Article: Spatial Distribution of Soil Contamination by 137Cs and 239,240Pu in the Village of Dolon Near the Semiplatinsknuclear Test Site : New Information on Traces of The Radioactive Plume From the 29 August 1946 Nuclear Test
Top co-authors
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Institutions
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2012
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Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Bethesda, MD, USA
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2001–2002
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Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, BfS
Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, Germany
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