Kazakhstan's Atomic Lake

In the early 1960s, the U.S. government began using nuclear explosives for civilian projects. The Soviet Union soon followed, blasting out a lake in Kazakhstan with a peaceful nuclear explosion. But far from being a benefit to the region, the so-called atomic lake is today a source of concern for local residents, who fear that it has contaminated their environment.

Produced by Yermek Boltayev and Regina Kozhikova of RFE/RLs Kazakh Service.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Kazakhstan
• nuclear
• radiation
• pollution
• environment

[puncheex]

They are talking about Lake Chagan (also Lake Balapan); that test was in January 1965. However, the lake show right after the explosion was from a different test, called Telkem (November 1968), in which three bombs were used to test the ability to dig a channel. Chagan is much larger than Telkem.

[Diamonddavej]

People living there are not exposed to excessive radiation, they get ~21 μSv/year from well water (worldwide average from all sources is ~4000 μSv/year). But, perceptions do matter and worry can turn people to drink and cigarettes.

León Vintró, et al., 2009. Americium, plutonium and uranium contamination and speciation in well waters, streams and atomic lakes in the Sarzhal region of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, Kazakhstan. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 100(4), 308-314.

[MrSwiftNinja]

MMAMAMAMAMAMAMSMDMASDMAMAMAM. Hey. 

[haimaphil]

Radioactivity has no smell. The smell is from decaying algae which were introduced there by the scientists. Such smell is common for most artificial water reservoirs in that climate due to ecological disbalance. Crater lake of Oregon has same problem from time to time when artificially introduced fish populations over-breed and then die in masses due to lack of food and diseases. And this goes in cycles. 90% of the introduced fish species died because were not native to the area. Piranhas died a

[DemiurgoDelNulla]

@sgrannel

if you go to see the wikipedia page on the first atomic test (Trinity nuclear test) you will discover that the site, although they have removed the first layer of radioactive soil, is still 24 times more radioactive than normal, more than 70 years from the explosion.

think there where nothing has been removed.

for the smell you are absolutely right

[ganstagan]

Kazahkstan has the best potassium in the world. All other countries have inferior potassium.

[ih8grep]

Agreed, interviewing a pack of pissed off locals does little to condemn the lake.

[sgrannel]

Radioactivity has no smell. Stagnant water can accumulate smelly chemicals that repel animals and prevent fish from thriving. By what means have the locals determined that the radioactivity is significantly in excess of natural background? Might that cigarette at 3:09 and others like it be the real culprit for heart disease and birth defects? Maybe others would care about him if he started to care about himself.