Fallout exposure and thyroid diseases prevalence in the Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan

The thyroid gland is considered to be especially susceptible to nuclear fallout because radioactive isotopes of iodine, and 131I in particular, are major components of the fallout. During the 40 year period from 1949 to 1989, at Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) near the Semipalatinsk city, 30 surface, 88 atmospheric and 340 underground explosions of nuclear and thermonuclear devices were conducted by the former Soviet Union. The radionuclides emanating from these tests resulted in atmospheric and environmental contamination in the region of Semipalatinsk and parts of region of north-eastern Kazakhstan leading to various levels of acute and chronic radiation exposure. The radiation dosimetry results revealed that external dose to the population around Semipalatinsk due to radioactive cloud and fallout from the SNTS ranged from 35cGy-100cGy. The possible relationships between radiation exposure and the prevalence of thyroid gland abnormalities around the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site area are not well established and hence a detailed study of the same is suggested