6　セミパラチンスク地区に居住する子どもとその保護者の核実験に対する認識について

抄録

The Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site was the most frequently used nuclear test facility of the former Soviet Union. During its 40-year-old history, 456 nuclear tests were carried out until the site was closed in 1989. Surveys around Semipalatinsk area were conducted to ascertain the overall impact of these tests. We interviewed children with diseases and/or disabilities and their parents from 12 families in this area from 2009 to 2017.

Whether the disabilities or diseases were officially diagnosed by a healthcare professional or not, most parents blamed the nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Site for their childrenʼs health problems. The parents’ reasons for linking their children’s medical problems to nuclear tests were classified into three categories: the children’s grandparents had been exposed to radiation directly; the parents themselves grew up in a contaminated area; the area in which they currently reside is contaminated, and their children are directly affected.

We also explored whether the parents’ guilt was eased when their childrenʼs ill health was attributed to nuclear testing. A detailed analysis of the survey responses revealed that these parents tended to blame themselves for their childrenʼs illnesses regardless of the circumstances, and were left wondering “if only there were no nuclear tests.” Exploring such layers of thought would shed light on the reality of adverse mental effects on the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site victims.