Interview Survey on Parents and Children in the Semipalatinsk Area: Perceived Causality between Children’s Diseases/Disabilities and Nuclear Tests

We interviewed children with diseases and/or disabilities and their parents from nine families in the Semipalatinsk Area from 2009 to 2013. Whether their disabilities/diseases were officially certified or not, most parents pointed to the nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Site as the cause of their children’s health problems. Reasons given by the parents for linking the children’s medical problems to Nuclear Tests were classified into three categories: The grandparents of the children had been exposed to radiation directly; the parents themselves grew up in a contaminated area; the area that they currently reside is contaminated and their children are being affected directly. We also explored whether the sense of guilt felt by the parents was eased when their children’s ill health was officially certified as caused by nuclear tests. A detailed analysis of the survey responses revealed that these parents tend to blame themselves for their children’s ill health, regardless the circumstances, and were left thinking ‘if only there were no nuclear tests’. Exploring such layers of thought would shed light on the reality of adverse mental effects on the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site victims.本稿は日本学術振興会科学研究費補助金【基盤C】（平成20-22年度）『セミパラチンスク地区の核被害実態調査研究： アンケート・証言・遺伝子解析を通して』（研究代表者：川野徳幸）、【基盤B】（平成23-25年度）『カザフスタン共和国セミパラチンスク地区住民の被ばく被害に関する総合的研究』（研究代表者：川野徳幸）、【基盤B】（平成27-30年度）『被ばく被害の国際比較研究：セミパラチンスク、チェルノブイリ、広島・長崎、福島』（研究代表者：川野徳幸）の研究成果の一部である。 また本稿は、日本平和学会2016年度秋季研究集会での報告に加筆修正を行ったものである

Outline of the Law on Social Protection of Citizens Suffered from Nuclear Tests in Semipalatinsk Conducted by the Former Soviet Union

The former Soviet Union conducted totally 456 nuclear tests between 1949 and 1989 in Semipalatinsk, Republic of Kazakhstan. What does a state support system exist to the people suffering the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing by the former Soviet Union? This paper analyzes a law on social protection of citizens suffered from nuclear tests in Semipalatinsk which Republic of Kazakhstan established in 1992 and revised in 2013. It prescribes the main measures Kazakhstan state provides social benefits and protection to people who suffered from the atomic / hydrogen bombs tests. Based on the social protection act, the present paper aims to describe the outline of the welfare support system to the survivors of the Semipalatinsk nuclear explosions with the view of comparison with Atomic Bomb Survivors' Assistance Act in Japan. In the beginning, we discuss the legal recognition where are environmental affected zone and who are the nuclear suffers. Then we introduce the state support system for victims of the nuclear tests in Kazakhstan based on the law.本稿は、科学研究費（26301003 及び15H03137）による研究成果の一部である

A Preliminary study on attitudes toward nuclear weapons and nuclear tests of the residents of Kurchatov, Kazakhstan

The town of Kurchatov was a secret city newly built in the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site as the headquarters of the nuclear tests. The present paper is a pilot study, first, to explore how the current Kurchatov residents think and feel about nuclear weapons and nuclear tests, and secondly, to compare the results of the survey with those of the similar survey near Semipalatinsk. Though the present study is based upon a small and limited survey conducted in the city, it is hoped that it will shed some new lights on the residents' attitudes toward nuclear tests and nuclear weapons. It is shown that the negative attitudes toward nuclear weapons and nuclear tests of those exposed to radiation near Semipalatinsk which characterize the Semipalatinsk survey are shared by the majority of the respondents of Kurchatov, as well as the concerns about the adverse health effects of nuclear tests. It is also shown, however, that there is a striking pro-nuclear minority in Kurchatov. Though the small and limit nature of our data does not allow us to confirm the existence of such a minority, our result suggests a possibility that there may be a certain pro-nuclear minority even in the region which have been severely affected by nuclear tests

Environmental radioactive contamination in settlements around the former Soviet Union’s Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: Sarzhal, Karaul and Kainar settlements, and some settlements located south of the Pavlodar Region

More than 450 nuclear atomic explosions including atmospheric, aboveground and underground nuclear tests had been conducted by the former Soviet Union (USSR) at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) over the past 40 years. Since 1994, we have concentrated our energies on assessing the human health and environmental impacts of nuclear testing. Especially, residual long-lived radionuclides such as 137Cs and Pu isotopes have been measured for soil samples from various areas. The studies focused on the evaluation of radioactive contamination in the settlements where the Semipalatinsk historical cohort resided. In October 2005, detailed soil sampling was carried out around Dolon settlement to estimate the width and position of center-axis of the fallout plume associated with the first USSR atomic bomb on 29 August 1949, and provided useful information on the efforts to estimate radiation dose in Dolon settlement as reliably as possible. Such studies were, next, devoted more time and attention to the Sarzhal and Karaul settlements located in the southeastern direction from the SNTS. The local fallout from the fist thermonuclear event on 12 August 1953 (30 m in height, 400 kt in scale) heavily affected those settlements. Here, laying stress on Sarzhal and Karaul settlements, the accumulated levels and spatial distribution of soil contamination by 137Cs and 239,240Pu have been excessively investigated since 2007. Besides, the radionuclides 236U and 237Np derived from bomb materials themselves were also measured together with the induced radionuclides, 152Eu and 60Co, in some soil samples. Based on those data obtained, radiation doses in air in two settlements were first reconstructed. As a result, adsorbed doses in air in case of the evacuation (non-evacuation) for inhabitants in Sarzhal and Karaul settlements were evaluated to be 20〜100 mGy (210〜530 mGy) and 10〜75 mGy (120〜380 mGy), respectively, as our tentative estimate for 1-year cumulative external doses mainly due to the local fallout from the first USSR hydrogen bomb test in August 1953. Apart from the above researches, in the Kainar village, one of the villages where the historical cohort resides, located south of the SNTS, and in the Pavlodar District located in the adjust north direction of the SNTS in which data were very limited, accumulated levels of 137Cs and Pu isotopes in soils have been measured for evaluating 137Cs and Pu inventories and their spatial distributions. The inventories of 137Cs found out both inside and outside of the Kainar village were in a wide range of 130〜7,500 Bq/m2. A clear shape similar to a Gaussian function along the center-axis of the radioactive plume, which has been found in Dolon, Sarzhal and Karaul settlements, was not observed in their spatial distributions, indicating a wider and uniformly close contamination of this region. On the other hand, in Pavlodar District, the 137Cs inventories ranged from 1,000 to 3,000 Bq/m2 for soil samples. As a whole, Pavlodar areas that the surveys have been conducted were found not to be contaminated so highly, compared with the northeastern areas including Dolon settlement contaminated heavily by the first nuclear atomic explosion in August 1949. The obtained data were also compared with all the data from other areas where we have surveyed until now. The obtained data will be useful for future residents' exposure dose assessmentAbstract… 1 Ⅰ．はじめに… 2 Ⅱ．サルジャール及びカラウル集落… 3 Ⅲ．カイナル集落及びパブロダール州南部の集落…16 Ⅳ．これまでに調査したセミパラチンスク全地域の137Cs及び239,240Pu蓄積量と 　　239,240Pu/137Cs及び238Pu/239,240Pu放射能比の比較… 24 Ⅴ．全体のまとめ…24 参考文献…26 Appendix…29本研究は、長期に渡る文部省の科学研究費助成金（基盤研究（A,B）: 海外、代表者 : 星 正治、山本政儀、川野徳幸） No.22404004、19404005、23406002、20406002、26257501、24310044、23310183、15H03137の助成を受けて行われた

Overall Image of Nuclear Tests among Inhabitants in the Semipalatinsk Area

The present paper is an attempt at describing overall image of nuclear tests for the residents at Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan. Our research team conducted the survey by interview from 2002 to collect testimonies of inhabitants. We analyzed testimonies using the hierarchical clustering method and the multi-dimensional scaling method. The result showed that there are two different types of appeal in residents' mind. One is the complaint for the present condition — especially about the health of one's family and one's own. The other is the memory at the testing time. Our results suggest that the most impressive memories for the inhabitants are "mushroom cloud", "flash light", "waving of the ground" and "Evacuation to the outside". The experiences of "waving of the ground" and "evacuation to the outside" are peculiar to the Semipalatinsk residents. For the residents near the SNTS the greatest concern at present is their health problems. They still struggle with their diseases, family's death even though 20 years has passed since the last nuclear test

The psychological effects and their causes among residents living near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site

The present paper is an attempt at clarifying the psychological effects and the causes among residents living near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, Kazakhstan. Our research team conducted the survey by questionnaire and interview from 2002 to describe overall image of sufferings from Nuclear Tests. In this paper, we focus on the answers from those who responded to questions concerning psychological symptoms. The result showed that; (1) 17.3 % of the residents reported some kind of psychological symptoms. (2) The villages in higher percentage of respondents who complain their psychological symptoms are Kainar (63.5 %), Saryzhal (54.4 %) and Dolon (40.0 %). (3)Some symptoms have a possibility that related to bad health condition, distance from the center of explosions, and concrete experiences of nuclear tests (for example, seeing flush light etc.) Our results suggest that the understanding or awareness of exposed to radiation is one of the main causes of their psychological effects. Bad health condition might also be one of the causes of psychological effects

Direct Experiences from the Nuclear Test in Inhabitants in the Semipalatinsk Area : A Study of the Major Factors Affecting Their Experiences

The present paper attempts to explore factors influencing direct experiences of nuclear explosions in residents near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS). For this purpose, it examines the results of our questionnaire survey from 2002 to 2005 in terms of a statistical method called logistic multiple linear regression analysis. The results show: (1) Approximately 94 % of respondents experienced something directly from the nuclear tests. (2) Approximately 66 % of respondents answered that they saw the flash of the nuclear explosions, 50 % of respondents answered that they felt the bomb blast and only 12 % of respondents answered that they felt heat. (3) Their direct experiences from the nuclear explosions is dependent not on radiation exposure level but on the distance from the hypocenter at the SNTS

Health Status of Radiation Exposed Residents Living Near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site Based on Health Assessment by Interview

The purpose of the present paper is to examine the aftereffects of radiation exposure on residents of villages near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) in Kazakhstan. Our Hiroshima University (Japan) research team began field research in 2002 by means of health assessments conducted via interviews. We focus on persons who responded to questions concerning their medical conditions and symptoms. In this paper, we summarize and analyze, using multiple linear logistic regression analysis, the answers obtained by questionnaire survey. The results show: (1) 31 % of the residents reported that they felt bad or were in very poor health. (2) Residents living in villages having higher radiation levels were more likely to report having poor or very poor health, minor complaints such as loss of sleep, headaches, nighttime sweating and swollen arms or legs, and the need for nursing care in performing activities of daily living. (3) Symptoms reported by over 40% of the respondents included high blood pressure, heart disease and arthralgia/ lower back pain/ arthritis. Our results suggest that radiation exposure in the Semipalatinsk area is one of the causes of poor health in general among residents. There is also a possibility that radiation exposure has influenced the incidence of some specific medical conditions