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| November 9, 2009 |
Kazakhstan's radioactive legacy
Sixty years ago, the Soviet Union detonated its first nuclear weapon, nicknamed "First Lightning", at a test facility on the steppe of northeast Kazakhstan (formerly the Kazakh SSR). The test site, named the Semipalatinsk Polygon, would go on to host 456 atomic explosions over its 40-year existence. Residents in the surrounding area became unwitting guinea pigs, exposed to the aftereffects of the bombs both intentionally and unintentionally. The radiation has silently devastated three generations of people in Kazakhstan - the total number affected is thought to be more than one million - creating health problems ranging from thyroid diseases, cancer, birth defects, deformities, premature aging, and cardiovascular diseases. Life expectancy in the area is seven years less than the national average of Kazakhstan. Photographer Ed Ou has graciously shared with us these photos from the area, with thanks to the excellent Reportage by Getty Images. (25 photos total)

Nurse Larissa Soboleva holds two-year-old Adil Zhilyaev in an orphanage in Semey, Kazakhstan November 24, 2008. Adil was born blind and afflicted with Infantile Cereberal Paralysis (ICP) and hydrocephalia, as a result of his mothers exposure to radiation during years of Soviet weapons testing during the Cold War. He was abandoned by his parents, and is now cared for in an orphanage. (Ed Ou/Reportage by Getty Images)

The big dipper rises over the Nuclear Polygon with the lights of Kurchatov, Kazakhstan on the horizon on November 22, 2008. The Polygon was the site of almost 500 nuclear weapons tests during the Cold War. Villagers living close by were given virtually no protection or warning of the dangers of radiation. The United Nations Development Programme says that over one million people were exposed to nuclear radiation over the forty years of nuclear testing. (Ed Ou/Reportage by Getty Images) #

Mayra Zhumageldina bathes her daughter, Zhannoor, in Semey, Kazakhstan on March 2, 2009. Zhannoor, 16, was born with microcephalia and sixth-degree scoleosis - a twisted spine because of exposure to high levels of radiation. The defect harmed Zhannoor's brain development as if she were in a permanent vegetative state. She cannot think, speak or perform basic functions. Mayra must bathe her every day because she cannot afford diapers. (Ed Ou/Reportage by Getty Images) #

A woman at a Russian Orthodox church in Kurchatov, Kazakhstan rings bells for Christmas Eve services January 6, 2009. Kurchatov was was once the epicenter of Soviet nuclear weapons research and development during the cold war, housing scientists and nuclear technicians. (Ed Ou/Reportage by Getty Images) #

Nuclear scientists use geiger counters to test radiation levels at the site of the first surface atomic explosion at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Polygon in Kazakhstan January 6, 2009. Over four hundred nuclear weapons were test detonated by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, leaving the area highly radioactive and dangerous to visit. (Ed Ou/Reportage by Getty Images) #

Autistic 7-year-old Valeria Zholdina plays with fiber optic lights in a rehabilitation center in Semey, Kazakhstan January 15, 2009. She was born with a developmental problems, and only recently learned to walk. The lights are designed to develop motor control skills. (Ed Ou/Reportage by Getty Images) #

Nikita Bochkaryov types with a stick attached to a helmet during a Russian grammar lesson with a teacher, in his apartment in Semey, Kazakhstan January 14, 2009. His life exists on the Internet, where his mind is liberated from his physical disability, enabling him to write stories, letters and poems, and communicate with his loved ones. (Ed Ou/Reportage by Getty Images) #

Starlight illuminates the abandoned military town of Chagan, next to the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Polygon in Kazakhstan February 27, 2009. The city was once a military airbase during the Cold War, with planes ready to drop nuclear payloads. It was abandoned after nuclear tests ended following the fall of the Soviet Union, leaving a ghost town in the middle of the steppe. (Ed Ou/Reportage by Getty Images) #
More links and information
Under A Nuclear Cloud - Ed Ou's full set of images at Reportage by Getty
60 Years After First Soviet Nuclear Test, Legacy Of Misery Lives On In Kazakhstan - Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 08/2009
Semipalatinsk Test Site - Wikipedia entry
Semipalatinsk Test Site - Google Map
Semipalatinsk Polygon - Dinara Sagatova and Ohio University
















