Relevance
With a view to define the radioecological conditions of the lands at the former Semipalatinsk Test site (STS) and efficiently use its uncontaminated part, 2008 through 2021, the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan (NNC RK) conducted the most large-scale ever survey in Kazakhstan – a comprehensive ecological survey. The outputs were recognized by the experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who highly appraised their confidence level, the relevance of conclusions and recommendations, and gave an appropriate opinion. As a result, higher-than-normal contamination of lands was detected, which are subject to restriction, and conventionally clean areas suitable to be released to the economic turnover. On July 5, 2023, Law #16-VIII LRK ‘On the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Safety Zone’ adopted, whose provisions provide for nuclear and radiation safety in contaminated areas of the test site and the creation of conditions to release usable test site’s lands to the economic turnover.
The goal of this Program is to logically continue the comprehensive ecological survey and develop a scientific and applied rationale for the sustainable management of land resources and water bodies in the former STS’s areas planned to be released to the economic turnover for the public ecological safety.
Research under the Program will involve geochemical surveys, the study of water bodies, ecotoxicology and medical biology. That said, special attention will be paid to novel data on the content of natural radionuclides and heavy metals, the epidemiological composition of objects of water use and the mutagenesis level in locals, which were not studied in the previous comprehensive ecological survey of the STS. The findings and the NNC RK’s grand scientific groundwork will aim to work out a scientific and methodological framework for the management, assessment and mapping of natural systems contaminated with radionuclides. To do so, multi-scale estimative and applied maps of the former test site’s areas will be developed and created, which will underlie the recommendations for the administrative and legal solution to the issue of categorizing lands as ‘farm lands’, which corresponds to the strategically important state task of ensuring radiation safety of the public and will be also an additional rationale for delimiting the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Safety Zone. For the first time, a Web application will be developed and created for the sustainable management of land resources and water bodies in the territory of the former Semipalatinsk Test Site, which are located in areas to be released to the economic turnover. This electronic resource will be the only platform that includes the most extensive information on this issue, which will produce a significant social effect, reduce radiophobia and raise the economic attractiveness of the region. At the same time, the development of recommendations for minimizing the adverse radiation effects on the public living near natural objects at the former test site and the assessment of their effectiveness, as well as the effectiveness of measures for minimizing possible contamination risks of animal products within the former test site or in the adjacent area, will have an essential social and economic effect, beneficially affect the development of environmental science on a national and international scale.
Program’s goal – Develop a scientific and applied rationale for the sustainable management of land resources and water bodies at the former Semipalatinsk Test Site, which are located in areas planned to be released to the economic turnover for the public ecological safety.
Expectations
Direct outputs:
– scientific and applied rationale for the sustainable management of land resources and water bodies at the former Semipalatinsk Test Site, which are located in areas planned to be released to the economic turnover for public ecological safety, which will be implemented in the form of scientific reports, a series of estimative and mapping models, scientific articles and a Web application created;
– science-based measures developed for minimizing the adverse radiation effects on the public of natural objects at the former Semipalatinsk Test Site;
– estimative mapping models developed for state, public and managerial entities of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of land use and land management to reduce the risk of public radiation exposure, which will allow for safe land development of land for agricultural purposes, which furthers the solution to food problems of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Outcome:
As a result of the Program implementation, recommendations for minimizing the adverse radiation effects on natural objects of the STS and measures will be developed to minimize possible risks to the public living in the STS’s territory or the adjacent area, a Web application created on the sustainable management of land resources and water bodies at the former Semipalatinsk Test Site, which are located in areas planned to be released to economic turnover. The Program results will foster the improvement of the environment health within the STS and, thereby, intensify the utilization of land resources and aquatic ecosystems in the national economy.
Economic effect. The materials obtained in the course of this Program implementation will ensure an efficient use of land resources in the STS’s territory and enable the science-based development of the agricultural sector for the future safe use of land and water resources. Measures to minimize public health risks will raise labor productivity, thereby allowing for a higher income for the industry to grow.
Ecological effect. During the implementation of the Program, environmental protection measures will be developed and implemented – recommendations for minimizing radiation effects on land resources and water bodies, reducing radiation risk to public health, and the findings will assist in the use of land and water resources for agricultural environmental management; conservation of biodiversity in the STS’s and adjacent areas.
Social effect. Research findings under this Program will allow for the improvement of social environment and enhancement of the public life quality, extension of life expectancy by way of minimizing health risks and improving farm land productivity.
Target users of findings: governmental bodies; Kazakhstani scientific institutions engaged in environmental pollution problems and their consequences; universities; medical institutions; state republican and territorial administrative entities; public organizations, experts in the field of environmental protection, ecology. On a global scale, states developing nuclear energy and affected by adverse consequences of the nuclear fuel cycle activities (Japan, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus) or territories of unfavorable radiological situation due to nuclear testing (Kazakhstan, Russia, USA, China, France) can be potential users.
As a result of the program implementation, the following outputs will be obtained:
1) Publication of 5 (five) articles and (or) reviews in peer-reviewed scientific editions in the scientific line of the Program, included in quartile 1 (one), 2 (two) and (or) 3 (three) by the impact factor in the Web of Science database and (or) having a CiteScore percentile of at least 50 (fifty) in the Scopus database.
2) Publication of 7 (seven) articles in journals recommended by the KOKNVO.
3) Publication of 1 (one) monograph or tutorial in foreign and (or) Kazakhstani publishing offices;
4) Obtaining at least 1 (one) patent from foreign patent offices (European, American, Japanese) or at least 1 (one) foreign or international patent included in the Derwent Innovations Index (Web of Science, Clarivate Analytics) database or at least 3 (three) intellectual property items registered with the National Institute of Intellectual Property of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Primary RW outputs
Based upon the results of research undertaken for 4 tasks in 2023, the following outputs were obtained:
Task: ‘Geochemical research at the former Semipalatinsk Test Site’.
The analysis of the available data on contamination with radionuclides and heavy metals At the STS was carried out. It was found that 137Cs, 90Sr, 239+240Pu, 241Am, and 3H in the water should currently be considered as essential from the perspective of radioactive contamination of environmental compartments and internal and external exposure at the STS. Sources of radionuclide contamination were identified. Atmospheric nuclear tests have made the main contribution to the formation of the radiological situation on the daytime surface of the STS (outside the test locations). There are more than 300 ore occurrences detected within the test site and in the adjacent areas, as well as about 30 mineral deposits. The presence of an elevated content of heavy metals and toxic elements in the soil was revealed at the Degelen site and in the adjacent areas. The data obtained will underlie a more detailed study of the STS’s geochemical features, including the identification of the spatio-temporal time history of element concentrations and zoning of research spots by type and contamination level.
Task: ‘Study of water bodies located both within the former Semipalatinsk Test Site and in nearby zones’.
Based upon the analysis of the available data on water bodies located both at the STS and in nearby areas, in the order of 265 water bodies were identified, which, in turn, are used or potential objects of water use. No presence of artificial radionuclides in quantities exceeding IL values for drinking water in conventionally ‘background’ areas was recorded, however, numerical values of 3H content ranging from 20 to 110 Bq/kg were recorded in the water of 7 boreholes, which exceeds the ‘background’ concentrations in the water bodies of the East Kazakhstan region, but lower than the IL by a factor of 10 or 100. 3H is also the major contaminant of the Degelen site’s creek water, which, on average, exceeds the IL by a factor of 10. That said, numerical values of 90Sr were recorded in the water of the Karabulak, Uzynbulak, Toktakushyk and Baytles creeks, the content of 137C and 239+240Pu are below the detection limit of the methodological hardware in use (<0.01 and <0.4×10-3 Bq/kg, respectively). In terms of certain chemical indicators (degree of hardness, mineralization, Cl-, SO42-), the waters of some water bodies were found to be unsuitable for household and potable needs.
Task: ‘Ecotoxicological and biomedical research’.
It was revealed that under the conditions of meadow biogeocenosis, the accumulation of radionuclides by plant species of interest varies widely. The range of values of 90Sr Tf is one order of magnitude, that of 137Cs - up to three orders. The estimated values of 241AmTf, on average, do not exceed deciles, Tf of 239+240Pu range from 0.0001 to 0.01. For steppe ecosystems, the accumulation of radionuclides by plants is also characterized by a high variability. On average, all the radionuclides in question are least accumulated by plants on ground zeros of ground tests and are more accumulated on the near fallout plumes and in conventionally ‘background’ areas. The figures on 3H content in plants of the Degelen site reach 41 kBq/kg, in the vicinity of the Shagan river – up to 79 kBq/kg. The parameters of radionuclide transfer to wild animals were basically obtained for mouse–like rodents and lizards, while sporadic data was obtained for other faunal forms. A settlement was identified to shape an eligible general sample of a group – the village of Sarzhal, the only administrative unit of the Sarzhal rural district in the Abai area of the Abai region. A micronucleus testing procedure was defined.
Task: ‘Development of scientific and methodological basics to manage, evaluate and map natural ecosystems contaminated with radionuclides’.
The source data was obtained for the development of a scientific and methodological framework for the management, assessment and mapping of natural systems contaminated with radionuclides. The following GIS project’s thematic blocks (sets of layers) were accepted to describe a complete concept of the test site: the STS and other sites’ borders; topography (topographic basis, bitmap images); locations of nuclear and other tests; economic activities at the STS; water bodies; vegetation; soils; geology; radiation characteristics of environmental compartments; other characteristics of environmental compartments. Multiscale estimative and applied maps of radionuclide contamination in areas of the former test site (for 137Cs and 241Am) and individual test locations (the case of Sary-Uzen), as well as an annual effective dose distribution scheme were developed. A dataset was obtained to be employed in the development of a Web application for the sustainable management of land resources and water bodies at the former Semipalatinsk Test Site, which are located in areas planned to be released to the economic turnover.
Based upon the research findings on 4 tasks in 2024, the following outputs were obtained:
Task: ‘Geochemical research at the former Semipalatinsk Test Site’
The analysis of the available geochemical data on the STS’s territory was carried out, upon which potential sources of heavy metal contamination were identified. The presence of elevated concentrations of heavy metals and toxic elements in the soil was detected at such test locations as the Experimental Field, Degelen, Balapan, Sary-Uzen, RWA test locations and in the adjacent areas. A high content of chemical elements is mainly attributed to the localization of various ore cluster in the study area. A temporal time history of the concentrations of 241Am and 137Cs was also revealed: the activity of 241Am in the top soil for 100 years will marginally decrease (by around 15%), that of 137Cs – by roughly 10 times. From the perspective of a spatial time history of radionuclide concentrations, under the conditions of a nonleaching water regime, artificial radionuclides remaining after nuclear tests and radioactive decay products were found to be mostly accumulated by the epipedons and do not migrate much deep down the soil profile: the maxima of the activity concentration across the study area occur in the 0-5 cm layer being: for 241Am – 88 %, 137Cs – 87%, 239+240Pu – 82% and 90Sr – 46 %. The content of radionuclides in the arable soil of 0-20 cm, in which the bulk of cultivated plant roots is concentrated, is for 241Am and 137Cs – 99%, 239+240Pu – 98% and 90Sr – 85 %. The minimum concentrations of radionuclides can be observed as deep as 20-30 cm being for 241Am and 137Cs – 1%, 239+240Pu – 2 % and 90Sr – 15 %. As part of the determination of spatial variations in radionuclide concentrations, source data was obtained on their distribution along the fallout plume of 241Am towards the Balapan test location from an unknown test conducted at the Experimental Field site.
Task: ‘Study of water bodies located both within the former Semipalatinsk Test Site and in nearby zones’
According to research findings, it was found that the water of the STS’s objects of water use collected from the wintering and summering grounds, meets the sanitary and epidemiological requirements for drinking water quality in terms of epidemiological and radiation composition. By chemical composition, namely 26% in terms of mineralization, 24% in terms of hardness, 36% in terms of sulfate content, 10% in terms of chloride content, the waters of objects of water use do not meet the requirements of the Health Standards in terms of safety of household, drinking and cultural water use. As a result of research into the current radioecological environmental health, in the impact zone of the Shagan riv., the maxima of 3H content in the surface water of the river were recorded 5 km away from the Atomic Lake, which corresponds to previous research findings. The content of other man-made radionuclides was mainly recorded in water and sediment samples collected from the STS’s territory, and in samples collected outside the test site, their content is below the detection limit.
Task: ‘Ecotoxicological and biomedical research’
Novel data was obtained on the bioaccumulation of radionuclides in trophic chains (plants and animals). For the Aktan-Berli site, the content of 241Am and 239+240Pu in the absolute majority of cases was found to be below the detection limit of the methodological hardware in use (<0,2 Bq/kg), that of 3Н (FWT and OBT) could not be quantified (<8 Bq/kg). The activity concentrations of 90Sr in plants range from <0.7 to 6.7 Bq/kg (Tf averages 0.78±0.09, n=9), 137Cs – <0.6 to 1.1 Bq/kg (Tf of 137Cs averages 0.020±0.002, n=4). At the 4 site, 241Am activity concentration in plants varies from ˂0.25 to 2.05 Bq/kg, that of 137Cs – ˂0.50 to 1.0 Bq/kg, 90Sr – 7.6 to 4,700 Bq/kg, 239+240Pu – 0.26 to 9.4 Bq/kg; Tf values of 137Cs vary from 0.0084 to 0.035, those of 90Sr – 0.17 to 0.75, 239+240Pu – 0.0023 to 0.068, a single values of 241Am Tf is 0.034. Some figures were also obtained on the bioaccumulation of radionuclides in animals. The activity concentration of 137Cs in tissues, organs, and contents of the examined wild animals’ gastrointestinal tracts from the STS varies within 1-23 Bq/kg, that of 90Sr – 0.26-5,600 Bq/kg. The activity concentrations of 241Am and 239+240Pu do not exceed the minimum detectable activity of the methodological hardware in use. To determine the mutagenesis level in locals, the questionnaire survey data and the primary results of the micronucleus test of target cells were obtained. It is established that, on average, the frequency of micronuclei for the residents of the Karaul vil. is 9.82±0.69 per 1,000 binuclear cells, for the residents of the Sarzhal vil. – 18.41±1.45 per 1,000 binuclear cells.
Task: ‘Development of scientific and methodological basics to manage, evaluate and map natural ecosystems contaminated with radionuclides’
Multiscale estimative and applied maps of radionuclide contamination and heavy metal content were developed, as well as a geobotanical map of natural forage lands in the northern STS’s territory based upon the analysis of the vegetation cover of natural forage lands and their feasible rational utilization, which will underlie the administrative and legal decision of categorizing the as ‘farm lands’. Primary recommendations were developed to minimize the adverse radiation effects on the public of natural objects at the former test site. As part of the creation of a Web application for the sustainable management of land resources and water bodies at the former Semipalatinsk Test Site, a tentative GIS project powered by the ArcGIS Pro platform, version 3.1.0., was developed. As the work progressed, a database was created for storing and managing collected geospatial data containing layers with attributive characteristics represented by points, lines and polygons. To handle data efficiently, mechanisms were worked out to upload data to the database with its integrity ensured. All the data is arranged in a file database.
According to research findings on 4 tasks in 2025, the following outputs were obtained:
Task: ‘Geochemical research at the former Semipalatinsk Test Site’
The results of geochemical research were obtained. The mechanisms shaping sources of contamination with radionuclides and heavy metals were revealed. Sorption processes in the soil-water system were identified as the main mechanisms responsible for shaping the distribution of radionuclides in microaggregate fractions leading to a better accumulation of radionuclides as the particle size decreases, and the production of organic substances with a high and moderate content of radionuclides that neutralizes the manifestation of the observables of sorption processes. The formation of sources of heavy metal contamination in the study area is driven by the geochemical features of the region. The spatio-temporal time history of the concentrations of radionuclides and heavy metals was revealed. It is established that the content of radionuclides in the plumes of ground tests decreases as the distance from the ground zero increases and from the plume center to its periphery. The spatial distribution features were determined for the chemical elements Be, Mg, Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Mo, Cd, Cs, Ba, Pb, U. Based upon zoning of the survey area by type and contamination level, it was found that the highest concentrations of Cr, Cd and Pb are confined to the northern STS to a greater extent, those of Mn, V and Mo – to the southern and southeastern. Comparatively higher concentrations of natural radionuclides occur in the western and central study area, those of 40K – in the northern. The zones radioactively contaminated with 241Am, 137Cs, 90Sr and 239+240Pu are mostly confined to the fallout plumes of ground nuclear tests that are fully included in the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Safety Zone.
Task: ‘Study of water bodies located both within the former Semipalatinsk Test Site and in nearby zones’
Research findings were obtained on the water bodies located both within the former test site and in nearby areas. It is established that the water of the STS’s objects of water use meets the sanitary and epidemiological requirements for drinking water quality in terms of radiation and epidemiological composition. According to the analysis of the chemical composition of waters, 26% of waters of objects of water use in terms of mineralization, 24% in terms of hardness, 36% in terms of sulfate content and 10% in terms of chloride content do not meet the Health Standards for safety of household, drinking, and cultural water use (including the water from the Zhamankuduk and Plokhotnikov summering grounds). The characteristics of the present-day radioecological environmental health were obtained for the impact zone of the Shagan riv. According to the radionuclide analysis data, it was established that the maxima of 3H content in the surface water of the river were recorded 5 km away from the Atomic Lake and as far as the STS boundary, which corresponds to previous research findings. The content of man-made 137Cs, 241Am and 239+240Pu was mainly recorded in samples of water, sediments and plants collected from the STS’s territory. The numerical values of 90Sr content are recorded in all the collected samples of water, sediments and plants, at levels not exceeding the standards of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Task: ‘Ecotoxicological and biomedical research’
The findings of ecotoxicological and biomedical research. Based upon the analysis and the generalization of the data on the bioaccumulation of radionuclides by plants, it is established that Tf values of 241Am, 137Cs, 90Sr and 239+240Pu at the Sary-Uzen site for terrestrial plants collected close to warfare boreholes vary widely. The range of numerical values of 241Am (0.00068-0.093) and 90Sr (0.012-4.7) Tf is 2 orders of magnitude, that of 137Cs (0.00031-0.18) and 239+240Pu (0.00013-0.61) Tf – 3 orders. At the same time, the highest values of Tf of all the radionuclides of interest occur close to boreholes with no deformed earth surface, the lowest – for spots close to boreholes with water-filled craters. That said, 90Sr is accumulated to a greater extent by littoral and aquatic plants, 239+240Pu – by terrestrial ones. At RWA test locations, (the 4 site), arithmetic means of Tf were 2.2±0.82 for 90Sr and 0.051±0.039 for 239+240Pu. In general, Tf values of radionuclides of interest, which were derived under the program for the 4 and Aktan-Berli site, correspond to values for the conventionally ‘background’ STS’ s areas with 137Cs and 90Sr Tf being below and 239+240Pu Tf being above the values derived for pastures by a factor of 10, as reported by the IAEA. As part of the estimate of the bioaccumulation of radionuclides by animals, novel data was obtained describing the radioecologial health of the STS’s fauna. The transfer parameters (CRorg-soil) of radionuclides were calculated for field mice (Apodemus agrarius) at different STS’s objects. The maxima of CRorg-soil of radionuclides for field mice (Apodemus agrarius) occur for 137Cs, and the minima – for 241Am. The descending series of CRorg-soil values of radionuclides for mice is as follows: 137Cs < 90Sr < 239+240Pu < 241Am. CRtiss-forage and CRorg-forage values were also calculated for 90Sr for partridge (Perdix perdix) being 0.053 and 0.066, respectively. The public radiation burden was estimated in case of living and carrying out any economic activities in the zone of a possible risk. The mutagenesis level in locals was determined during the micronucleus test of target cells. The findings indicate differences in the frequency of micronuclei between two settlements of interest: in the residents of the Karaul vil. – 12.37±0.42 per 1,000 binuclear cells and in the residents of the Sarzhal vil. – 13.38±0.38, which points to a more pronounced genotoxic stress in the latter settlement.
Task: ‘Development of scientific and methodological basics to manage, evaluate and map natural ecosystems contaminated with radionuclides’
Scientific and methodological basics to manage, evaluate and map of natural systems contaminated with radionuclides were developed. Multiscale estimative and applied maps of the former test site’s areas were constructed, including a geobotanical map of natural forage lands, which will underlie the administrative and legal decision of categorizing the lands as ‘farm lands’. The basic recommendations for minimizing the adverse radiation effect on the public of natural objects within the former tests site include a restricted access for farm animals to radioactively contaminated spots that are at the STS’s test locations and the utilization of the parameter limits for radionuclide contamination of the soil cover to zone radionuclide-contaminated areas with possibly exceeded permissible levels of the main dose-forming radionuclides in livestock products. The evaluation of the efficiency of developed recommendations and measures showed that there is no risk of contamination of livestock products (mutton, horse meat, beef and cow's milk) with the main dose-forming radionuclides like 137Cs, 90Sr, 239+240Pu and 241Am at the former test site or and in the adjacent area outside the SNSZ. A Web application was created for the sustainable management of land resources and water bodies in the territory of the former Semipalatinsk Test Site, which are located in areas planned to be released to the economic turnover. A unified platform was developed that combines the results of field research and GIS technologies in one interface allowing for a quick data filtration, interpretation by the legend and making informed decisions on the use of areas. The open stack architecture enables scalability, portability and further development, from the connection of new layers to the integration of additional data sources. Workshops, conferences, and training courses were held to popularize radiation and environmental safety measures and implement the scientific results of the Program.
Over the entire timeline of the tasks under the program, 7 (seven) articles were published in journals recommended by KOKNVO, 7 (seven) articles in peer-reviewed scientific editions in the Program’s scientific line, included in quartile 1 (one), 2 (two) and (or) 3 (three) by the impact factor in the Web of Science database and (or) having a CiteScore percentile in the Scopus database of at least 50 (fifty), 1 (one) monograph in a Kazakhstani publishing office and 3 (three) intellectual property items. Some of the results was presented at conferences: V International scientific forum ‘Nuclear Sciences and Technologies’ (RK, 25th International scientific conference ‘Sakharov readings – 2025: ecological problems of the XXI century’ (The Republic of Belarus), XX International scientific conference of students, graduate students and young scientists ‘Lomonosov – 2025’ (RK), RAD 2025 (Montenegro), XI International conference ‘Semipalatinsk Test Site: legacy and prospects for a scientific and technical capacity building’ (RK).