Who receives the highest dose of radiation exposure and where are the most radioactive places on the planet? The most radioactive places on our planet.

(after the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters) an accident in which about 100 tons of radioactive waste entered the environment. An explosion followed, polluting a vast area.

Since then, there have been many emergency situations at the plant, accompanied by emissions.

Siberian Chemical Plant, Seversk, Russia

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Test site, city of Semipalatinsk (Semey), Kazakhstan

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Western Mining and Chemical Plant, Mailuu-Suu, Kyrgyzstan

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Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Pripyat city, Ukraine

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Gas field Urta-Bulak, Uzbekistan

Aikhal village, Russia

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An underground explosion was carried out 50 kilometers east of the village of Aikhal on August 24, 1978 as part of the Kraton-3 project to study seismic activity. The power was 19 kilotons. As a result of these actions, a large radioactive release to the surface occurred. So big that the incident was recognized by the government. But there were a lot of underground nuclear explosions in Yakutia. An elevated background is typical for many places even now.

Udachny Mining and Processing Plant, Udachny, Russia

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As part of the Kristall project, on October 2, 1974, an overground explosion with a capacity of 1.7 kilotons was carried out 2 kilometers from the city of Udachny. The goal was to create a dam for the Udachny mining and processing plant. Unfortunately, there was also a major release.

Canal Pechora - Kama, city of Krasnovishersk, Russia

On March 23, 1971, the Taiga project was implemented 100 kilometers north of the city of Krasnovishersk in the Cherdynsky district of the Perm region. Within its framework, three charges of 5 kilotons each were blown up for the construction of the Pechora-Kama canal. Since the explosion was superficial, an ejection occurred. A large area was infected, where, however, people live today.

569th Coastal Technical Base, Andreeva Bay, Russia

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Polygon "Globus-1", Galkino village, Russia

Here, in 1971, another peaceful underground explosion was carried out under the Globus-1 project. Again for the purpose of seismic sounding. Due to poor-quality cementing of the wellbore to place the charge, substances were released into the atmosphere and into the Shacha River. This place is the officially recognized zone of man-made contamination closest to Moscow.

Mine "Yunkom", city of Donetsk, Ukraine

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Gas condensate field, Krestische village, Ukraine

Another unsuccessful experiment was conducted here on the use of a nuclear explosion for peaceful purposes. More precisely, to eliminate the leakage of gas from the field, which could not be stopped for a whole year. The explosion was accompanied by a release, a characteristic fungus and contamination of nearby areas. There are no official data on the background radiation at that and the current moment.

Totsky polygon, city of Buzuluk, Russia

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Once upon a time, an experiment called "Snowball" was conducted at this test site - the first test of the effect of the consequences of a nuclear explosion on people. During the exercises, the Tu-4 bomber dropped a nuclear bomb with a capacity of 38 kilotons of TNT. Approximately three hours after the explosion, 45,000 troops were sent to the contaminated area. Few of them are alive. Whether the landfill is currently deactivated is unknown.

A more detailed list of radioactive sites can be found.

We are all exposed to radiation in one form or another every day. However, in the twenty-five places that we will tell you about below, the level of radiation is much higher, which is why they were included in the list of the 25 most radioactive places on Earth. If you decide to visit any of these places, don't get mad if you find yourself with an extra pair of eyes after looking in the mirror... (well, maybe that's an exaggeration... maybe not).

Extraction of alkaline earth metals | Karunagappally, India

Karunagappally is a municipality in the Kollam district of the Indian state of Kerala where rare metals are mined. Some of these metals, especially monazite, have been eroded into beach sand and alluvial deposits. Due to this, the radiation in some places on the beach reaches 70 mGy / year.

Fort d'Aubervilliers | Paris, France

Radiation tests found quite strong radiation at Fort d'Aubervilliers. Cesium-137 and radium-226 were found in 61 of the tanks stored there. In addition, 60 cubic meters of its territory also turned out to be contaminated with radiation.

Acerinox Scrap Metal Processing Plant | Los Barrios, Spain

In this case, the source of caesium-137 went unnoticed by the monitoring devices at the Acherinox scrap yard. When melted, the source caused the release of a radioactive cloud with radiation levels exceeding normal by 1000 times. Pollution was later reported in Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria.

NASA Santa Susana Field Laboratory | Simi Valley, California

Simi Valley, California is home to NASA's Santa Susanna Field Laboratory, and over the years, about ten small nuclear reactors have failed due to several fires involving radioactive metals. Cleanup operations are currently underway at this heavily polluted site.

Plutonium mining plant "Mayak" | Muslyumovo, Russia

Due to the Mayak plutonium mining plant, built in 1948, residents of Muslyumovo in the southern Ural Mountains are suffering from the consequences of drinking water contaminated with radiation, which has led to chronic diseases and physical disabilities.

Church Rock Uranium Mill | Church Rock, New Mexico

During the infamous accident at the Church Rock uranium enrichment plant, more than a thousand tons of solid radioactive waste and 352,043 cubic meters of acidic radioactive waste solution entered the Puerco River. As a result, radiation levels increased 7,000 times above normal. A study conducted in 2003 showed that the waters of the river are still polluted.

Apartment | Kramatorsk, Ukraine

In 1989, a small capsule containing highly radioactive caesium-137 was found inside the concrete wall of an apartment building in Kramatorsk, Ukraine. The surface of this capsule had a dose of gamma radiation equal to 1800 R/year. As a result, six people died and 17 people were injured.

Brick houses | Yangjiang, China

Yangjiang urban area is full of houses made of sand and clay bricks. Unfortunately, the sand in this region comes from parts of the hills that contain monazite, which breaks down into radium, actinium, and radon. The high levels of radiation from these elements explain the high rate of cancer in the area.

Natural radiation background | Ramsar, Iran

This part of Iran has one of the highest levels of natural background radiation on Earth. Radiation levels at Ramsar reach 250 millisieverts per year.

Radioactive sand | Guarapari, Brazil

Due to the erosion of the natural radioactive element monazite, the sands of Guarapari beaches are radioactive, with radiation levels reaching 175 millisieverts, very far from the acceptable level of 20 millisieverts.

McClure Radioactive Site | Scarborough, Ontario

The McClure Radioactive Site, a housing estate in Scarborough, Ontario, has been a radioactive site since the 1940s. The contamination was caused by radium recovered from scrap metal that was to be used for experiments.

Underground springs of Paralana (Subterranean Springs of Paralana) | Arkaroola, Australia

The underground springs of Paralana flow through rocks rich in uranium and, according to research, these hot springs have been bringing radioactive radon and uranium to the surface for over a billion years.

Institute of Radiation Therapy Goias (Instituto Goiano de Radioterapia) | Goias, Brazil

The radioactive contamination of Goiás, Brazil was the result of a radioactive radiation accident following the theft of a radiation therapy source from an abandoned hospital. Hundreds of thousands of people have died due to pollution, and even today, radiation is still rampant in several areas of Goiás.

Denver Federal Center | Denver, Colorado

Denver Federal Center has been used as a landfill site for a variety of wastes, including chemicals, contaminated materials, and road demolition debris. This waste was transported to different places, which led to the radioactive contamination of several areas in Denver.

McGuire Air Force Base | Burlington County, New Jersey

In 2007, McGuire Air Force Base was recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as one of the most polluted air bases in the country. That same year, the US military ordered a clean-up of contaminants at the base, but the contamination is still there.

Hanford Nuclear Reservation Site | Hanford, Washington

An integral part of the US atomic bomb project, the Hanford facility produced plutonium for the atomic bomb that was eventually dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Although the plutonium stock was decommissioned, approximately two-thirds of the volume remained at Hanford, causing groundwater contamination.

In the middle of the sea | Mediterranean Sea

A syndicate controlled by the Italian mafia is believed to be using the Mediterranean as a dumping ground for hazardous radioactive waste. Some 40 ships carrying toxic and radioactive waste are believed to be sailing through the Mediterranean, leaving large amounts of radioactive waste in the oceans.

Coast of Somalia | Mogadishu, Somalia

Some claim that the soil of the unprotected coast of Somalia was used by the mafia to dump nuclear waste and toxic metals, which include 600 barrels of toxic materials. This, unfortunately, turned out to be true when a tsunami hit the coast in 2004 and rusting barrels buried here several decades ago were opened to the eyes of people.

Production association "Mayak" | Mayak, Russia

A lighthouse in Russia has been the site of a huge nuclear power plant for many decades. It all started in 1957, when approximately 100 tons of radioactive waste was released into the environment in a catastrophe that resulted in an explosion that polluted a huge area. However, nothing was reported about this explosion until 1980, when it was discovered that since the 1950s, radioactive waste from the power plant had been dumped into the surrounding area, including Lake Karachay. The pollution resulted in more than 400,000 people being exposed to high levels of radiation.

Sellafield Power Plant | Sellafield, UK

Before it was converted into a commercial area, Sellafield in the UK was used to produce plutonium for atomic bombs. Today, about two-thirds of the buildings that are in Sellafield are considered radioactive. This facility releases about eight million liters of contaminated waste every day, polluting nature and causing death to people living nearby.

Siberian Chemical Plant | Siberia, Russia

Just like Mayak, Siberia is also home to one of the largest chemical plants in the world. The Siberian Chemical Combine produces 125,000 tons of solid waste that pollutes the groundwater of the surrounding area. The study also found that wind and rain carry these wastes into the wild, causing high levels of wildlife mortality.

Polygon | Semipalatinsk test site, Kazakhstan

The test site in Kazakhstan is best known in connection with the atomic bomb project. This deserted place was transformed into an institution where the Soviet Union detonated its first atomic bomb. The test site currently holds the record for the largest concentration of nuclear explosions in the world. Approximately 200,000 people are currently suffering from the effects of this radiation.

Western Mining and Chemical Combine | Mailuu-Suu, Kyrgyzstan

Mailuu-Suu is considered one of the most polluted places in the world. Unlike other radioactive sites, this site receives its radiation not from nuclear bombs or power plants, but from large-scale uranium mining and processing activities, releasing approximately 1.96 million cubic meters of radioactive waste into the area.

Chernobyl nuclear power plant | Chernobyl, Ukraine

Heavily contaminated with radiation, Chernobyl is the site of one of the worst nuclear accidents in the world. Over the years, the Chernobyl radiation disaster has affected six million people in the area and is predicted to result in approximately 4,000 to 93,000 deaths. The nuclear disaster at Chernobyl released 100 times more radiation into the atmosphere than was released as a result of the explosion of nuclear bombs in Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant | Fukushima, Japan

The aftermath of the earthquake in Fukushima Prefecture in Japan is said to be the longest lasting nuclear hazard in the world. Considered the worst nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster, the disaster caused three reactors to melt down, resulting in a massive radiation leak that was detected 322 kilometers from the power plant.

1. Plant "Mayak" (Muslyumovo, Russia)

In 1948, an enterprise for the processing of nuclear fuel was built in Muslyumovo (in the Chelyabinsk region). There were no waste disposal and recycling technologies at that time, and as a result, the entire river system was contaminated, and the houses located next to the plant were seriously irradiated.

2. Residential apartment (Kramatorsk, Ukraine)

In 1989, a capsule containing a radioactive substance, Cesium-137, was found in the concrete wall of an apartment building in Kramatorsk. The capsule gave off such strong radiation that it allegedly led to the death of 6 people and seriously affected the health of 17 more people.

3. Fort d'Aubervilliers (Paris, France)

As a result of checks on the level of radioactivity, it turned out that this area of ​​​​Paris was seriously contaminated. In the 1930s in the area of ​​the former defensive structures of the city, studies of radioactive materials were carried out. More than 60 barrels stored here have tested positive for Cesium-137 and Radium-226. The "volume" of the site of infection is 60 cubic meters.

4. NASA Santa Susanna Laboratory (California, USA)

Simi Valley is the home of NASA's Santa Susanna laboratory: over the past decades, several accidents and fires of nuclear reactors have occurred here. A project is currently being developed to clean up the area.

5. In the middle of the sea (Mediterranean Sea)

It is believed that a syndicate controlled by the Italian mafia is using the Mediterranean Sea as a dumping ground for radioactive waste. It is assumed that ships passing through the sea release huge amounts of nuclear waste into the water.

6. Mayak Production Association (Mayak, Russia)

For decades, Mayak was home to a huge nuclear plant. In 1957, an accident occurred here: as a result of an explosion, about 100 tons of radioactive materials were released into the environment - over hundreds of square kilometers. The territory that was contaminated was called the "East Ural radioactive trace".

True, the fact of the explosion became known only in 1980. In addition, at the same time it turned out that since the 1950s, the adjacent territories, including Lake Karachay, had been used as a dumping ground for radioactive waste. This led to a deterioration in the health of more than 40 thousand people.

7. Siberian Chemical Combine (Tomsk Region, Russia)

Like Mayak, this plant is one of the largest chemical enterprises in the world. The Siberian Chemical Plant, according to rough estimates, produced about 125 thousand tons of solid waste polluting groundwater. Research also shows that wind and rain can spread pollution and infect wildlife, causing high mortality rates.

8. Semipalatinsk test site (Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan)

The test site in Kazakhstan is best known for its atomic bomb project. In this uninhabited place in the distant steppes, the Soviet Union tested its first nuclear bomb. Now this place holds the record for the number of nuclear explosions per unit area. The number of residents of adjacent areas affected by radiation is approximately 200 thousand people.

9. Nuclear reactor in Chernobyl (Ukraine)

Chernobyl became known around the world for one of the worst nuclear accidents in history. Over the years, radiation has affected approximately 6 million people, and the number of deaths caused by radioactive contamination, according to the forecast, will still be from 4 thousand to 93 thousand. The volume of release of radioactive substances in Chernobyl was 100 times higher than the level in Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

10. NPP "Fukushima-2" (Japan)

The effect of the Fukushima earthquake is considered the world's longest-running nuclear hazard. The worst accident since Chernobyl resulted in damage to three reactors and, as a result, a significant radiation leak that spread up to 320 km from the plant.

On the territory of the globe there are places where the indicators of radiation pollution literally go off scale, so it is extremely dangerous for a person to be there.

Radiation is detrimental to all life on earth, but at the same time, humanity does not stop using nuclear power plants, developing bombs, and so on. There are already several clear examples in the world of what the careless use of this enormous power can lead to. Let's look at the places with the highest levels of background radiation.

1. Ramsar, Iran

A city in northern Iran has recorded the highest level of natural background radiation on Earth. Experiments have determined indicators of 25 mSv. per year at a rate of 1-10 millisieverts.

2. Sellafield, UK

This is not a city, but an atomic complex used to produce weapons-grade plutonium for atomic bombs. It was founded in 1940, and 17 years later there was a fire that triggered the release of plutonium. This terrible tragedy claimed the lives of many people who subsequently died for a long time from cancer.

3. Church Rock, New Mexico

There is a uranium enrichment plant in this city, where a serious accident occurred, as a result of which more than 1 thousand tons of solid radioactive waste and 352 thousand m3 of acid radioactive waste solution fell into the Puerco River. All this has led to the fact that the level of radiation has increased greatly: the figures are 7 thousand times higher than the norm.

4. Coast of Somalia

The radiation in this place appeared quite unexpectedly, and the responsibility for the terrible consequences lies with European companies located in Switzerland and Italy. Their leadership took advantage of the unstable situation in the republic and brazenly dumped radioactive waste on the shores of Somalia. As a result, innocent people suffered.

5. Los Barrios, Spain

A caesium-137 source was melted down at the Acherinoks scrap metal processing plant due to an error in the measuring devices, which led to the release of a radioactive cloud with a radiation level that exceeded normal levels by 1 thousand times. After a while, pollution spread to the territories of Germany, France, Italy and other countries.

6. Denver, America

Studies have shown that, compared to other regions, Denver itself has a high level of radiation. There is an assumption: the whole point is that the city is located at an altitude of one mile above sea level, and in such regions the atmospheric background is thinner, which means that protection from solar radiation is not so strong. In addition, there are large deposits of uranium in Denver.

7. Guarapari, Brazil

Brazil's beautiful beaches can be hazardous to health, including the holiday destinations in Guarapari, where the naturally occurring radioactive element monazite is eroded into the sand. When compared with the prescribed norm of 10 mSv, the indicators when measuring sand turned out to be much higher - 175 mSv.

8. Arcarula, Australia

For more than one hundred years, the sources of radiation have been the underground sources of Paralany, which flow through rocks rich in uranium. Studies have shown that these hot springs bring radon and uranium to the surface of the earth. It is not clear when the situation will change.

9. Washington, America

The Hanford complex is nuclear and was founded in 1943 by the American government. Its main task was to generate nuclear energy for the manufacture of weapons. It has been decommissioned for now, but radiation continues to emanate from it and will continue to do so for a long time to come.

10. Karunagappally, India

In the Indian state of Kerala, in the Kollam district, there is the municipality of karunagappally, where rare metals are mined, and some of them, such as monazite, have become like sand as a result of erosion. Because of this, in some places on the beaches, the radiation level reaches 70 mSv / year.

11. Goiás, Brazil

In 1987, an unfortunate incident took place in the state of Goiás, located in the central-western region of Brazil. Scrap metal collectors decided to pick up a device designed for radiation therapy from a local abandoned hospital. Because of it, the entire region was in danger, since unprotected contact with the device led to the spread of radiation.

12. Scarborough, Canada

Since 1940, a residential area in Scarborough has been radioactive, and this area is called McClure. Provoked contamination of radium, extracted from the metal, which was planned to be used for experiments.

13. New Jersey, America

Burlington County is home to McGuire Air Force Base, which has been listed by the Environmental Protection Agency as one of the most polluted air bases in America. In this place, operations were carried out to clean up the territory, but elevated levels of radiation are still recorded here.

14. Bank of the Irtysh River, Kazakhstan

During the Cold War, the Semipalatinsk test site was created on the territory of the USSR, where nuclear weapons were tested. 468 tests were carried out here, the consequences of which were reflected in the inhabitants of the surrounding area. Data show that approximately 200,000 people were affected.

15. Paris, France

Even in one of the most famous and beautiful European capitals, there is a place contaminated with radiation. Large values ​​of the radioactive background were found in Fort D "Aubervilliers. The thing is that there are 61 tanks with cesium and radium, and the territory itself of 60 m3 is contaminated.

16. Fukushima, Japan

In March 2011, a terrible nuclear disaster occurred at a nuclear power plant in Japan. As a result of the accident, the area around this station became like a desert, as approximately 165,000 local residents fled their homes. The place was recognized as an exclusion zone.

17. Siberia, Russia

This place is one of the largest chemical plants in the world. It generates up to 125,000 tons of solid waste, which pollute groundwater in nearby areas. In addition, experiments have shown that precipitation also spreads radiation to wildlife, from which animals suffer.

18. Yangjiang, China

In Yangjiang County, bricks and clay were used to build houses, but apparently no one thought or knew that this building material was not suitable for building houses. This is due to the fact that sand is supplied to the region from parts of the hills, which contain a large amount of monazite, a mineral that decomposes into radium, actinium and radon. It turns out that people are constantly exposed to radiation, so the rate of cancer is very high.

19. Mailuu-Suu, Kyrgyzstan

This is one of the most polluted places in the world, and it's not about nuclear power, but about the extensive mining and processing of uranium, which releases about 1.96 million m3 of radioactive waste.

20. Simi Valley, California

In a small town in California, there is a NASA field laboratory called Santa Susanna. Over the years of its existence, there have been many malfunctions associated with ten low-power nuclear reactors, which led to the release of radioactive metals. Now in this place operations are carried out aimed at cleaning the area.

21. Ozersk, Russia

In the Chelyabinsk region there is a production association "Mayak", which was built in 1948. The enterprise is engaged in the production of nuclear weapons components, isotopes, storage and regeneration of spent nuclear fuel. There have been several accidents that have contaminated drinking water, and this has increased the number of chronic diseases among local residents.

22. Chernobyl, Ukraine

The catastrophe that occurred in 1986 affected not only the inhabitants of Ukraine, but also other countries. Statistics showed that the incidence of chronic and oncological diseases has increased significantly. Surprisingly, it was officially recognized that only 56 people died from the accident.

– josser

Although the 2011 earthquake and the Fukushima worries brought the radiation threat back into the public consciousness, many people still do not realize that radioactive contamination is a danger around the world.

Radionuclides are among the six most dangerous toxic substances listed in a report published in 2010 by the Blacksmith Institute, a non-governmental organization dedicated to environmental pollution.
The location of some of the most radioactive places on the planet may surprise you - as well as the many people living under the threat of the possible effects of radiation on themselves and their children.

10. Hanford, USA

The Hanford complex in Washington State was part of the US project to develop the first atomic bomb, fabricating plutonium for it and the Fat Man used in Nagasaki. During the Cold War, the complex ramped up production, providing plutonium for most of America's 60,000 nuclear weapons. Despite decommissioning, it still contains two-thirds of the country's high-level radioactive waste - about 53 million gallons (200 thousand cubic meters; hereinafter - approx. mixednews) liquid, 25 million cubic meters. feet (700 thousand cubic meters) solid and 200 sq. m. miles (518 sq km) of groundwater contaminated with radiation, making it the most polluted area in the US. The destruction of the natural environment in this area makes one realize that the threat of radiation is not something that will come with a missile attack, but something that can lurk in the very heart of your own country.

9. Mediterranean Sea

For years, there have been rumors that the 'Ndrangheta syndicate of the Italian mafia used the sea as a convenient place to dump hazardous waste, including radioactive, cashing in on the provision of related services. According to the assumptions of the Italian non-governmental organization Legambiente, since 1994, about 40 ships loaded with toxic and radioactive waste have disappeared in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. If true, these claims paint a disturbing picture of contamination of the Mediterranean basin with unspecified amounts of nuclear material, the extent of the true threat of which will become clear when hundreds of barrels are compromised by wear and tear or some other process. Behind the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea, an unfolding ecological disaster may well be hiding.

8. Coast of Somalia

Since we are talking about this sinister business, the Italian mafia just mentioned was not limited to its own region. There are also allegations that the Somali soils and waters, left without state protection, were used for the burial and flooding of nuclear materials and poisonous metals, including 600 barrels of toxic and radioactive waste, as well as waste from medical institutions. Indeed, UN Environment officials believe that rusting barrels of waste washed up on the Somali coast during the 2004 tsunami were dumped into the sea as early as the 1990s. The country is already ravaged by anarchy, and the impact of the waste on its impoverished population could be as devastating (if not worse) than anything it has experienced before.

For decades, the Mayak production complex in northeastern Russia has included a plant for the production of nuclear materials, and in 1957 became the site of one of the world's worst nuclear incidents. As a result of the explosion, which resulted in the release of up to one hundred tons of radioactive waste, a vast territory was contaminated. The fact of the explosion was kept under cover of secrecy until the eighties. Since the 1950s, the plant's waste has been dumped in the surrounding area, as well as in Lake Karachay. This has led to the contamination of the water supply system that provides the daily needs of thousands of people. Experts believe that Karachay may be the most radioactive place in the world, and more than 400,000 people have been exposed to the plant's radiation as a result of various serious accidents - including fires and deadly dust storms. The natural beauty of Lake Karachay deceptively hides pollutants that create a level of radiation in the places where they enter the waters of the lake, sufficient for a person to receive a lethal dose of radiation within an hour.

6. Sellafield, UK

Located on the west coast of England, Sellafield was originally an atomic bomb factory, but has since moved into the realm of commerce. Since the start of its operation, hundreds of emergency situations have occurred on it, and two-thirds of its buildings themselves are now considered as radioactive waste. The facility dumps about 8 million liters of radioactive waste into the sea every day, making the Irish Sea the most radioactive sea in the world. England is famous for its green fields and hilly landscapes, despite the fact that in the heart of this industrialized country a toxic, high-accident facility is well established, spewing dangerous substances into the oceans.

5. Siberian Chemical Combine, Russia

Mayak is not the only dirty place in Russia; There is a chemical industry facility in Siberia that contains more than forty years of nuclear waste. Liquids are stored in open pools, and poorly maintained tanks hold over 125,000 tons of solid materials, while underground storage is capable of leaking into groundwater. Winds and rains spread the pollution over the surrounding area and its wildlife. And many minor accidents have led to the loss of plutonium and the explosive spread of radiation. The snow-covered landscape may look pristine and clean, but the facts make clear the true degree of pollution that can be found here.

4. Semipalatinsk test site, Kazakhstan

Once the site of nuclear weapons testing, the area is now part of modern-day Kazakhstan. The site was set aside for the needs of the Soviet atomic bomb project due to its "uninhabitability" - despite the fact that 700,000 people lived in the area. The facility was located where the USSR detonated its first atomic bomb and holds the record as the site with the highest concentration of nuclear explosions in the world: 456 tests in 40 years from 1949 to 1989. Although the site's testing—and its exposure to radiation—was kept secret by the Soviets until its closure in 1991, the radiation is estimated to have affected the health of 200,000 people. The desire to destroy the peoples on the other side of the border led to the specter of nuclear contamination, which hung over the heads of those who at one time were citizens of the USSR.

In Mailuu-Suu, rated one of the ten most polluted cities on Earth according to a 2006 Blacksmith Institute report, radiation does not come from atomic bombs or power plants, but from the extraction of materials needed in their associated technological processes. In this area, uranium mining and processing facilities were located, which are now abandoned along with 36 dumps of uranium waste - more than 1.96 million cubic meters. This region is also characterized by seismic activity, and any disturbance of the containment of substances can lead to their contact with the environment or, if they enter rivers, pollute the water used by hundreds of thousands of people. These people may never worry about the threat of a nuclear strike at all, but they still have good reason to live in fear of radioactive fallout whenever the earth shakes.

2. Chernobyl, Ukraine

The site of one of the worst and most infamous nuclear accidents, Chernobyl, is still heavily polluted, despite the fact that a small number of people are now allowed in the zone for a limited time. The infamous incident exposed 6 million people to radiation, and estimates of the number of deaths that will eventually occur in connection with the Chernobyl accident range from 4,000 to 93,000. Radiation emissions were a hundred times greater than those that occurred during the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Belarus absorbed 70 percent of the radiation, and its citizens faced an unprecedented number of cancers. Even today, the word "Chernobyl" conjures up horrific images of human suffering.

1. Fukushima, Japan

The 2011 earthquake and tsunami was a tragedy that destroyed lives and homes, but the most long-term danger may be the impact from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl caused fuel meltdowns in three of the six reactors, as well as such radiation leaks into the surrounding areas and into the sea that radioactive substances were detected at a distance of up to two hundred miles from the plant. Until the accident and its consequences are fully revealed, the true extent of environmental damage remains unknown. The world may still feel the effects of this catastrophe for generations to come.