Kazakhstan. Dolon. Ludmila Shakhvorostova (77 years old) is the mother of Alexander Shakhvorostov (fat man seated, born 1958) and Anatoliy Shakhvorostov (stand up, born 1956). Both sons are mentally handicapped. They both suffer from mental deficiency and retardation. The village of Dolon is near the Semipalatinsk Polygon ( called today National Nuclear Center of Kazakhstan). Both sons are second generation victim of the 456 atomic testing - 116 atmospheric, 340 underground - from 1949 to 1989. Ludmila Shakhvorostova still remembers seing the first atom test in 1949. The regions high frequency of mentally handicapped diseases is primarily due to fallout from nearby nuclear test sites. Both men show the human and environmental effects of nuclear radiation, genetic contamination and pollution from atomic tests programs of the former Soviet Union. Dolon is located in the Eastern Kazakhstan Province. © 2008 Didier Ruef ..
{}