title: The Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: a first assessment of the radiological situation and the test-related radiation doses in the surrounding territories.
abstract: As a result of atmospheric nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site 'Polygon', adjacent territories were contaminated by radionuclide fallout. The population of some districts in the Semipalatinsk oblast were exposed to elevated levels of radiation. Contamination and exposure mostly resulted from early atmospheric tests. The radiological situation of the Semipalatinsk oblast is described. Effective dose estimates due to external and internal exposure attributable to the 1949 and 1953 tests in villages near the Polygon range from 70 mSv to 4470 mSv.
authors.affiliation: Kazakh Scientific Institute for Radiation Medicine and Ecology, Semipalatinsk, Republic Kazakhstan, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: B I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Gusev
authors.forename: Z N
authors.initials: ZN
authors.lastname: Abylkassimova
authors.forename: K N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Apsalikov
mesh_terms: D000398:Air Pollution, Radioactive / Q000009:adverse effects; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D007623:Kazakhstan; D009689:Nuclear Warfare; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012426:Russia