Assessing the Hazards of Radiological and Environmental Factors for the Public Health in the Western Kazakhstan

Abstract

The subject of this study was the pollution of the major natural environments in the area of nuclear explosion at the Azgyr nuclear test base. It has been identified that the soil of the nuclear sites, mineshaft water, bottom slits in reservoirs, wild flora, potatoes, cow milk are polluted with technogenic radionuclides. Since the territory of the nuclear test base was used for the disposal of various technical wastes, different heavy metals have been detected in those natural environments. The study of the health status in the population of the testing site area allowed identifying the group of disease classes in which morbidity rates are significantly higher than those of the reference inhabited locality. The correlation between the pollution of natural environments and the morbidity of people in the nuclear test base area has been established.