Nuclear Testing, Uranium Extraction and the Oil Industry
Radiation Contamination and Radiation Protection in Kazakhstan
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
In Kazakhstan, large parts of the country are contaminated by radiation. In a territory of ca. 350,000 square km, where more than 1 million people live, radiation contamination is clearly high. The radio-ecological situation is therefore an important factor in the social and economic development of Central Asian countries. In providing adequate protection from radiation, it is crucial that the field of vision is not limited to the nuclear testing site in Semipalatinsk and the decommissioned fast breeder reactor near Aktau. Radioactive contaminated waste from uranium mining and radiation contamination from oil extraction pose the greatest danger.
(Osteuropa 4-5/2008, pp. 165–176)