Scientific papers
Grosche B, Zhunussova T, Apsalikov K, Kesminiene A (2015). Studies of health effects from nuclear testing near the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, Kazakhstan. Cent Asian J Glob Health. 4(1):127. https://doi.org/10.5195/cajgh.2015.127 PMID:29138710
Drozdovitch V, Lipikhina A, Apsalikov K, Brait Y, Tokanov A, Konovalova F, et al. (2026). External radiation dose reconstruction among individuals exposed to fallout from atmospheric nuclear weapons testing at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. J Environ Radioact. 298:108076. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2026.108076 PMID:42285018
Drozdovitch V, Lipikhina A, Apsalikov K, Brait Y, Tokanov A, Yessilkanov G, et al. (2026). Thyroid doses estimated for a cohort of people exposed to fallout from atmospheric nuclear weapons testing at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, Kazakhstan. Radiat Environ Biophys. 65(1):283–305. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00411-025-01155-x PMID:41247536
Drozdovitch V, Lipikhina A, Apsalikov K, Brait Y, Tokanov A, Yessilkanov G, et al. (2025). Assessment of radiation contamination of villages in northeastern Kazakhstan not covered by exposure rate measurements after atmospheric nuclear weapons tests conducted at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. J Environ Radioact. 288:107731. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107731 PMID:40499259
Stepanenko V, Shinkarev S, Lipikhina A, Apsalikov K, Kaprin A, Ivanov S, et al. (2025). External radiation dose reconstruction for settlements near the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, Kazakhstan, in the international multicenter study: a detailed review and comparative analysis of the initial data. J Radiat Res. 66(5):496–508. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrr/rraf049 PMID:40884744
Stepanenko V, Shinkarev S, Kaprin A, Apsalikov K, Ivanov S, Shegay P, et al. (2024). Comparison of external dose estimates using different retrospective dosimetry methods in the settlements located near Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, Republic of Kazakhstan. J Radiat Res. 65(1):36–46. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrr/rrad082 PMID:37981331
Apsalikov KN, Lipikhina A, Grosche B, Belikhina T, Ostroumova E, Shinkarev S, et al. (2019). The State Scientific Automated Medical Registry, Kazakhstan: an important resource for low-dose radiation health research. Radiat Environ Biophys. 58(1):1–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00411-018-0762-5 PMID:30446811
Posters
Cohort study of residents near the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan - feasibility assessment. Ghassan B. Hamra, Sara J. Schonfeld, Kazbek Aspalikov, Bernd Grosche, Shinji Yoshinaga, Tamara Zhunussova, Ausrele Kesminiene on behalf of the SEMI-NUC study group.
State scientific automated medical register of people affected by the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site as a basis for scientific research at the Research Institute of Radiation Medicine and Ecology, Semey, Kazakhstan. Presented by Kazbek Apsalikov (NIIRME, Republic of Kazakhstan), ISoRED conference, 9–11 September 2025, Lyon, France.
Current radioecological situation around the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, Kazakhstan. Presented by Alexandra Lipikhina (NIIRME, Republic of Kazakhstan), ISoRED conference, 9–11 September 2025, Lyon, France.
Cancer risks in population exposed to nuclear fallout from the Semipalatinsk test site, Kazakhstan: a cohort study. Presented by Evgenia Ostroumova (IARC/WHO, France). ISoRED conference, 9–11 September 2025, Lyon, France.
Impact of nuclear weapons testing on thyroid health: a cohort study in Kazakhstan. Presented by Jeanne Plunian (IARC/WHO, France). IARC@60 conference, 19–21 May 2026, Lyon, France.
Abstracts
Identification of sources and mechanisms in determination of health effects for prospective studies among residents living near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site. Tamara Zhunussova, Astrid Liland, Alicja Jaworska, Tatyana Belikhina, Kazbek Apsalikov, Sergey Lukashenko, Gulmara Kenzhina, Shinji Yoshinaga, Bernd Grosche, Sara Schonfeld, Ghassan Hamra, Ausrele Kesminiene. 10 June 2014.
A large cohort construction to study long-term health consequences in the population exposed to nuclear weapons testing at Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. Evgenia Ostroumova, Alexandra Lipikhina, Kazbek Apsalikov, Yuliya Brait, Alma Mansarina, Faina Konovalova, Alik Tokanov, Joachim Schüz. 28 August 2025.
Risk of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer in people exposed from radioactive fallout after atmospheric nuclear weapon test at Semipalatinsk test site. Jeanne Plunian, Alexandra Lipikhina, Kazbek Apsalikov, Meruyert Massabayeva, Vladimir Drozdovitch, Evgenia Ostroumova. 28 August 2025.
Thyroid doses estimated for a cohort of people exposed to fallout from atmospheric nuclear weapons testing at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. Vladimir Drozdovitch, Alexandra Lipikhina, Kazbek Apsalikov, Yulia Brait, Alik Tokanov, Gani Yessilkanov, Rafail Rosenson, André Bouville, Evgenia Ostroumova. 28 August 2025.
Cancer risks in population exposed to nuclear fallout from the Semipalatinsk test site, Kazakhstan: a cohort study. Ostroumova E., Lipikhina A., Apsalikov K., Drozdovitch V., Schuz J. 9 September 2025.
Impact of nuclear weapons testing on thyroid health: a cohort study in Kazakhstan. Jeanne Plunian, Alexandra Lipikhina, Vladimir Drozdovitch, Kazbek Apsalikov, Evgenia Ostroumova. 19 May 2026.
Cancer mortality in the population exposed to nuclear weapons testing at Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, Kazakhstan. Evgenia Ostroumova, Alexandra Lipikhina, Jeanne Plunian, Kazbek Apsalikov, Vladimir Drozdovitch, Yuliya Brait, Alma Mansarina, Faina Konovalova, Alik Tokanov, Joachim Schüz. 19 May 2026.
Relevant references
Chaizhunusova N, Yang TC, Land C, Luckyanov N, Wu H, Apsalikov KN, et al. (2006). Biodosimetry study in Dolon and Chekoman villages in the vicinity of Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. J Radiat Res. 47(Suppl A):A165–9. https://doi.org/10.1269/jrr.47.A165 PMID:16571933
Grosche B, Lackland DT, Land CE, Simon SL, Apsalikov KN, Pivina LM, et al. (2011). Mortality from cardiovascular diseases in the Semipalatinsk historical cohort, 1960–1999, and its relationship to radiation exposure. Radiat Res. 176(5):660–9. https://doi.org/10.1667/RR2211.1 PMID:21787182
Land CE, Zhumadilov Z, Gusev BI, Hartshorne MH, Wiest PW, Woodward PW, et al. (2008). Ultrasound-detected thyroid nodule prevalence and radiation dose from fallout. Radiat Res. 169(4):373–83. https://doi.org/10.1667/RR1063.1 PMID:18363427
Drozdovitch V, Schonfeld S, Akimzhanov K, Aldyngurov D, Land CE, Luckyanov N, et al. (2011). Behavior and food consumption pattern of the population exposed in 1949–1962 to fallout from Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan. Radiat Environ Biophys. 50(1):91–103. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00411-010-0334-9 PMID:20938673
Sigurdson AJ, Land CE, Bhatti P, Pineda M, Brenner A, Carr Z, et al. (2009). Thyroid nodules, polymorphic variants in DNA repair and RET-related genes, and interaction with ionizing radiation exposure from nuclear tests in Kazakhstan. Radiat Res. 171(1):77–88. https://doi.org/10.1667/RR1327.1 PMID:19138047
Simon SL, Beck HL, Gordeev K, Bouville A, Anspaugh LR, Land CE, et al. (2006). External dose estimates for Dolon village: application of the U.S./Russian joint methodology. J Radiat Res. 47(Suppl A):A143–7. https://doi.org/10.1269/jrr.47.A143 PMID:16571929
Gordeev K, Shinkarev S, Ilyin L, Bouville A, Hoshi M, Luckyanov N, et al. (2006). Retrospective dose assessment for the population living in areas of local fallout from the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site Part II: Internal exposure to thyroid. J Radiat Res. 47(Suppl A):A137–41. https://doi.org/10.1269/jrr.47.A137 PMID:16571928
Gordeev K, Shinkarev S, Ilyin L, Bouville A, Hoshi M, Luckyanov N, et al. (2006). Retrospective dose assessment for the population living in areas of local fallout from the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site Part I: External exposure. J Radiat Res. 47(Suppl A):A129–36. https://doi.org/10.1269/jrr.47.A129