From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Tue May 16 2000 - 11:20:39 EDT
Radiation levels "disastrous" in east and west Kazakhstan, expert says
Excerpt from report by Kazakh Commercial TV on 11th May
[Announcer] West and East Kazakhstan Regions are ecological disaster zones,
in the opinion of scientists from the Republican Physics and Technical
Institute. Radiation levels in these Regions are twice as high as in the
area of the former Semipalatinsk test ground [eastern Kazakhstan]. Our
correspondent Larisa Chernenko has more details:
[Chernenko over video of steppes, hills and a lorry] Scientists from the
institute inspected five ecologically unfavourable Regions in the republic.
The results exceeded the worst expectations. In terms of environmental
pollution and the amount of lethal elements in the human organism, it turns
out that the most dangerous Regions are not Kzyl-Orda [southern Kazakhstan]
and Semipalatinsk Regions as was thought, but West and East Kazakhstan
Regions.
[Aleksandr Polyakov, captioned as deputy director of the Republican Physics
and Technical Institute] There is no Region in our republic where
radiation could be said to be normal. The radiation particularly exceeds
the normal level in East Kazakhstan Region. We assume that this has
occurred because of processing of special raw material.
[Correspondent] As you know, production of uranium and beryllium is taking
place there. Apart from this, East Kazakhstan is unlucky in terms of its
geographical situation. The aftermath of tests at the Semipalatinsk test
range and continuing [nuclear] explosions at the Chinese test range of Lop
Nur are having a lethal effect on the region. The same situation applies in
the west of the republic.
[Polyakov] Bad analyses and bad results. The [radiation] level may be said
to have reached an emergency ecological situation. This is in West
Kazakhstan Region, the areola of the test grounds of Azgir and Kapustin
Yar. We have inspected six areas there, taken hundreds of samples and
analyzed them all. It is not simply a state of emergency that should be
declared there, these areas should declared ecological disaster zones.
[Correspondent] The scientists' research show that the radiation level in
Almaty [southern capital] is higher that normal. This explains why there is
an increase in the number of babies born with abnormalities. Oncological
and others diseases have increased and the mortality rate among children
and adults is growing.
[passage to end omitted: correspondent says that government should tackle
this issue]
Source: Kazakh Commercial Television, Almaty, in Russian 1300 gmt 11 May 00
BBC Mon CAU 130500/** VA/AD
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