Prof. Ryspek A. Ibraev reprinted with permission from
Poison Fire, Sacred Earth,
TESTIMONIES, LECTURES, CONCLUSIONS,
THE WORLD URANIUM HEARING, SALZBURG 1992
pages 141-143

The most important thing is that these explosions in the air and on the surface left their local fallout on the territory of Kazakhstan -- except those, which went up, meaning into the atmosphere and spread, i.e. around the world. I would like to underline the following; of course, all those measures were anti-human. The question is, that during the preparation of the explosion the people should have been taken away from the dangerous zones. And this is exactly what they didn't do. And many villages, many places were covered in radioactive fallout many times. And all this happened in the course of ten years. . . .
Besides, the official authorities -- even the Ministry of Health of the USSR which should have to keep, to protect the health of the people if it is to fulfill its function -- they officially established the dose for inhabitants of this region having heightened it 100 times up to 50 BER [=Roentgen Equivalent Man (REM)] per year, when a human being as a rule should not be exposed to more than 35 BER during 70 years of his life-time, i.e. 0.5 BER per year. But the inhabitants of many places were exposed to 200 BER even during the first two to three days. . . .
And the third proposal: We are categorically against any proposal of underground storage. We suggest the surface proposals. Well, everybody knows that when the cobra is under the glass, in front of the eyes, it is clear that one can be quiet. And if one puts it into the cellar and there are also many cracks there then it is nearly impossible to guarantee safety. We have discovered this thing. Moscow and Leningrad scientists may maintain that there is not any spreading out, i.e. that there is no harmfulness there beneath the ground, but we have discovered it ourselves and far away from the place of the source of the pollution. That's why we are now looking for a parliamentary way for only one thing: to solve the main question at the beginning. What is more important: the rights of the atomic industry -- or the rights of the population and of nature in the face of such danger from the atomic industry? All the problems resulting from this depend on the solution of this question. That is why we believe that the health of the people and the cleanness of nature should be put first, and only then should the atomic industry's wishes and needs be looked after.



Prof. Ryspek A. Ibraev

Prof Ryspek A. Ibraev, Kasakhstan, CIS. Geologist, geochemist, leader of the Inter-faculty Laboratory of the Kasakh State University, head of the Independent Public Expert Council of Radioecology of Kazakhstan.
(This speech was held originally in Russian)

Dear Organizers of the forum! Let me express my great thanks to you for the invitation to such an authoritative forum, for granting us the possibility of meeting each other, of talking openly, of exchanging one's views with the representatives of different nations and peoples of our planet.

Dear Participants of the Hearing! From the bottom of my soul I am glad to be able to greet you and through you your compatriots in the name of the Kazakh people who as well as the working people in all countries wish only one thing: A world without radiation, i.e. to save the planet from the all-devouring and all-destroying monster -- radiation. The people of Kazakhstan have a right to such a demand. I would like to explain this reason briefly.

Shortly about myself: I am geologist and geochemist. I worked at uranium and metal rich mines. I have been concerned with radioecology for nearly 25 years, I study the consequences of objects of the Military Economic Complex of the former USSR in action -- these are uranium mines and plants, hundreds of thermoatomic explosions on the surface of the earth, in the air, and underground which have been carried out on the territory of the republic for military or civil purposes -- and how they effect the surroundings, i.e. the rock, the geological strata, the ground, the underground water, the surface water, the plants and the animal world. I am a leader of the Inter-Faculty Laboratory of the Kazakh State University, the head of an Independent Public Expert Council of the Radioecology of Kazakhstan which is connected to the international anti-nuclear movement "Nevada-Semi".

By the way, for detailed information, the anti-nuclear movement "Nevada-Semi" is headed by the famous Kazakh poet Olzas Suleimenov, who is also active in public relations. Today his adviser, the Moscow scientist Vladimir Yakimetz is here, he will give a more detailed report about the nuclear explosions on the Semipalatinsk Testing Site.

Honored Hearers! Taking into consideration the importance of our first forum, the necessity for correctly orientated activities amidst the most difficult political situation in the world, especially in the CIS, in the former Soviet Union, and also for the elaboration of a scientific based strategy and tactics of the International Federation of Radioecologists under the conditions of an objectively developed reality -- of a political reality -- in the countries of CIS, I would like to suggest to you some basic moments of our ecological politics, especially that of the Independent Expert Council which could be used for the elaboration of our Federation if the quorum finds it necessary. What is the essence of these suggestions?

First, I will tell you briefly about Kazakhstan. Probably many of those who are present here now, do not know, did not hear about it earlier, probably. Kazakhstan, as far as the area is concerned . . . Well, if you can picture it in your mind, Austria goes 33 times into the territory of Kazakhstan, as far as the area is concerned. The population is about 17 million -- this is a bit more than twice the population of Austria. The native population or nation, let's say, forms a bit more than 40 percent. The republic got sovereignty after the recent collapse of the Union, was accepted into the United Nations, this means, it was acknowledged by many countries. So. As for the climate -- although it is basically continental but it covers ... here is just this map; I cannot show it to you -- these are nearly all natural zones which exist in the world. The deepest lowland, Karagie, is situated with us -- the Prekaspian Lowland on the territory of Kazakhstan. The mountains are the highest point, this means Alatau -- the highest peak is more than 4,000 meters high. There are mostly eternal glaciers there.

And here is the desert -- because I have no graphics, I will simply show it to you -- it spreads from East to West for many thousands of kilometers. This here around it, these are the mountain systems, and this is the deepest lowland, the Prekaspian Lowland. This here, this is the Great Desert, steppe and half-desert, where exactly all the main military objects of the Military Economic Complex of the former Soviet Union, the present CIS, are situated.

With us -- everybody knows that there are five experimental testing sites in the world, two of them are situated on the territory of the former USSR. The biggest is the Semipalatinsk Testing Site in the territory of Kazakhstan. The second testing site -- this is already in the Russian Federation, on the islands of Novaya Zemlya. Well, and near us is also the Chinese testing site Lop Nor; till now it delivers us, so to say, our part regularly. Well, the rest -- the French atoll you know. And the American one is, I mean, Nevada. Well, you see probably on the Northeast of the map -- it is written there Semipalatinsk. Near this town, there is the testing site. And nearer to here on this strip of land, the rich sources of uranium and the rich sources of nonferrous metals, ferrous metals, coal and so on are situated.

And besides all this, besides the Semipalatinsk Testing Site there were in total about more than 500 -- officially they say fewer, but 500 explosions happened in our area. About 26 of them were surface explosions -- that means, they put it directly on the tank and exploded it and also in the air at a height of 10 to 20 and so on meters. And there were about 90 explosions in the air -- at a height of two kilometers from the surface of the earth, and there were about 340 underground nuclear explosions -- all these were in the borders of one Semipalatinsk Testing Site, at depths from 100 to 600 meters in different geological formations.

The most important thing is that these explosions in the air and on the surface left their local fallout on the territory of Kazakhstan -- except those, which went up, meaning into the atmosphere and spread, i.e. around the world. I would like to underline the following; of course, all those measures were anti-human. The question is, that during the preparation of the explosion the people should have been taken away from the dangerous zones. And this is exactly what they didn't do. And many villages, many places were covered in radioactive fallout many times. And all this happened in the course of ten years.

Besides, the official authorities -- even the Ministry of Health of the USSR which should have to keep, to protect the health of the people if it is to fulfill its function -- they officially established the dose for inhabitants of this region having heightened it 100 times up to 50 BER [=Roentgen Equivalent Man (REM)] per year, when a human being as a rule should not be exposed to more than 35 BER during 70 years of his life-time, i.e. 0.5 BER per year. But the inhabitants of many places were exposed to 200 BER even during the first two to three days.

I will not mention the figures, but the radioactivity exceeded the acceptable dose many hundreds of thousands of times. Nearly all the desirable results, medically speaking, aspects have been received there -- carcinogenic effects as well as so-called teratogenic and mutagenic. The thing is that as a result of these underground explosions, of these dense levels of fallout on the surface, drinking-water and the plants are, of course, polluted. And via the food-chain all this naturally goes directly into the organism of a human being. Before the year 1990 nearly all the information was inaccessible to us, all this was top secret. And after achieving sovereignty we must carry on a long struggle, step by step, in order to learn the truth. Although we knew the truth earlier, too, but the Republic did not have the possibility even to take measures to save these people.

Only a short time ago our government, after the decree about the closing of the Semipalatinsk Testing Site, passed several legislative bills which recognized the whole region and adjacent districts of other regions as a zone of ecological misery. That means there will be, of course, all the practical consequences resulting from it, especially medical and legal, etc. But not only this radioactivity threatens the steppe with danger. The so-called explosions for peaceful purposes were carried out in Central Kazakhstan and in the western regions -- especially in the western regions -- in the salt strata. The previous speaker from Germany and many others told us how they organize the final storage in the underground capacities. I carried out the research works there where they had carried out explosions. I know the materials. What is supposed in many other countries, expected, suspected, so to say, we have experienced all that long ago.

Up till now the authorities didn't let us deal with this matter, and if we did concern ourselves with it then the metropolis, let's say, this former center carried away all the data and kept them top secret. And the local cadres were not allowed to do research. Having occupied ourselves with other matters, at the same time we carried out the research somehow and got the necessary information, but now the leadership of the Republic takes a couple of such active measures in order to take control of this. I think it is senseless to enumerate all the criminal actions, in my opinion, all this should be clear. I can say only one thing: that in the world there is no region like Kazakhstan which was so densely polluted with the radioactivity both underground as well as above ground level.

Well, comrades, I see that my time is running out. I want to share that experience which we are getting now. We chose the parliamentary means of fighting. To this aim we elaborate now alternative choices, different state measures from the scientific point of view, because in order to be able to say, "this should not be done, this is bad", one must suggest something different. Otherwise they will say: "If there is no other possibility then we are forced to take these measures."

What we suggest to undertake now from this view: First of all, to compose the radioecological map of the whole region to single out the most dangerous places and to take practical measures from there.

Secondly, it is necessary to localize -- I underline once again that there are more than 400 underground capacities in Kazakhstan, some of them are filled with the radioactive waste of other states, in particular of Russia -- so our task now is to isolate these capacities, to secure them.

And the third proposal: We are categorically against any proposal of underground storage. We suggest the surface proposals. Well, everybody knows that when the cobra is under the glass, in front of the eyes, it is clear that one can be quiet. And if one puts it into the cellar and there are also many cracks there then it is nearly impossible to guarantee safety. We have discovered this thing. Moscow and Leningrad scientists may maintain that there is not any spreading out, i.e. that there is no harmfulness there beneath the ground, but we have discovered it ourselves and far away from the place of the source of the pollution. That's why we are now looking for a parliamentary way for only one thing: to solve the main question at the beginning. What is more important: the rights of the atomic industry -- or the rights of the population and of nature in the face of such danger from the atomic industry? All the problems resulting from this depend on the solution of this question. That is why we believe that the health of the people and the cleanness of nature should be put first, and only then should the atomic industry's wishes and needs be looked after.

But I completely agree -- here on the first day the comrade made the speech -- to use other sources of energy -- that of the wind, of the water and so on.

Please excuse me, obviously I did not say everything within my time. Well, I suggest here to accept in our quorum the most important thing -- to put the rights of the human being higher. Why? If all the representatives of all the countries in the world adhere to this position then it will be easier for us to fight with us there with the government and it will be probably easier for you. I hope that together we will reach such a decision.

Thank you for your attention.