Kazakhstan has about 20% of world uranium resources. It is also notable that Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Polygon have existed in the territory of Kazakhstan for almost 40 years. Besides that many scientific and one industrial nuclear power reactors, as well as thousands of medical ionizing radiation sources are now operated. All of these created a big problem in Kazakhstan in the area of handling radioactive wastes. According to the inventory of disposal places of radioactive wastes (1993) there are 529 storage and burial sites of radioactive wastes in Kazakhstan, 127 of which are the legacy of uranium mining and processing industry.
The tailings formed in the result of using chemical technologies at chemical mining combines and hydrometallurgical plants require special attention.
Among uranium tailings are the Koshkar-Ata tailing located in suburbs of Aktau city. It contains the uranium wastes of Caspian mining and metallurgy combine and located in the aquatorium of the old and partly dried up salinated lake in the area of 30 km2. The lake is partly covered with water but the most part of the territory is dried up and is a source of dust and exhalation of radon from the surface.
Another problem of uranium tailings for Kazakhstan is related with the state of wastes of the functioning Stepnogorsk mining- chemical combine. The amount of wastes from the former uranium mining industry is estimated at 250−300 Curie. Residual radioactivity at tailing sites are determined by radium and thorium. The tailings are stored on the area exceeding 700 ha, in three sections.
Thus, Kazakhstan, like all other Central Asian countries experiences the problems with tailings. Radiation safety problem in Kazakhstan is exacerbated with the fact that the republic is located in the downstream of Syrdarya River, in the upper stream of which are Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, which have huge amounts of uranium wastes. In the case of emergent situations and accidents at tailings caused by disasters the radioactive contamination will affect these republics themselves and the neighboring Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan as well.
Source: electronic discussion «Uranium Tailings: Local Problems, Regional Consequences, Global Solution», topic «Risks and consequences of tailings for Kazakhstan»