There is a lake in the northeasterly part of Kazakhstan that serve as a straight will to the Cold War ’s hazardous legacy . The lake , known as Lake Chagan , is posit in the sparse , bouldered landscape near the city of Semey ( formerly Semipalatinsk ) . To a casual viewer , the lake might seem unremarkable , but its other name offer a better insight into its true meaning : the Atomic Lake .

In 1965 , the Soviet Union conducted a atomic test explosion thatcreateda 100 - measure ( 328 - foot ) recondite , 400 - cadence ( 1,312 - substructure ) blanket volcanic crater where the lake sits today . The explosion itself was just one of hundreds of others conducted over four decades in the vast border area that help as the Soviet Union ’s primary atomic examination ground .

The USSR’sfirstnuclear weapon was detonated at theSemipalatinsk Nuclear tryout Site(otherwise known as " The Polygon " ) on August 29 , 1949 . The turkey , hump as RDS-1 , not only represented a meaning technical accomplishment for the Soviet Union , usher them into the atomic age , but it also bespeak the true starting line of the nuclear arms raceway that characterized the Cold War by break America ’s monopoly on the bomb . Over the next 40 old age , the Soviet Union would acquit out 456 atomic tests at Semipalatinsk , 116 of which take on place above ground , while 340 were conducted underground .

During its history , the Soviets try a whole range of unlike weapon type at the site , includingfission devices , as well as massivethermonuclear bombs .

One of the reasons why Semipalatinsk was so likable to the Russians was due to its closing off and the ease with which it could be closed off from civilians . However , this did not mean the surface area was completely uninhabited . There were several hamlet on the outskirts of the site , and the city of Semey , which was only 150 kilometers ( 93 geographical mile ) away , had over 1 million multitude living there . As such , these people were still at risk from the radioactive fabric thrown into the standard atmosphere ( nuclear fallout ) produce by the above - ground test – especially as the Soviet Union did not attempt to discourage the surrounding population about the tests .

The general population was afterwards reveal to hazardous radioactive materials through both their contact lens with radioactive particles in the strain , as well as the intake of contaminated nutrient . Since the late eighties , variousstudieshave examined the potential essence this exposure has had on the people living in the domain . There are now legion datasets available in the literature on this topic , collectively indicating that the atomic test significantly affect theriskof various chronic diseases in the fence in populations , include cancers , thyroid gland disease , immunologic disorders , and congenital malformations .

aesculapian practitionersat Dispensary Number 4 in Semipalatinsk , as well as scientists from the Institute of Biophysics of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR , carried out assessments of radiation pic in 1958 . Even then , they reported that 22 percent of observed individual had symptoms related to chronic irradiation malady .

The wild bequest of the radiation has more than just strong-arm wellness conditional relation . Recent enquiry has emphasize the traumaticpsychologicaleffects locals experience as they have stress and anxiety over the potential radiation therapy effects on their wellness .

The Soviet Union carried out its last atomic blowup at Semipalatinsk in 1989 , and the website was finally close after the Soviet Union collapse and Kazakhstan declare its independence . Since then , the trial web site has become an authoritative symbolization of the dangers ring atomic engineering science and their impacts on wellness and the environs . Research into the people live in the sphere continue , especially as scientists seek to not only understand the long - term effects radiation can have on individuals , but also how it may bear upon succeeding generation .