More time needed to solve Kalachi 'sleeping sickness' mystery - scientists
SEMEI, June 1 (Interfax) - The Kazakh National Nuclear Center is close to solving the mystery of 'sleeping sickness', which has been plaguing the village of Kalachi in the Akmola region, but the scientists are unwilling to jump to conclusions.
"It is too early to say that the 'sleeping sickness' mystery in the village of Kalachi in the Akmola region has been solved," Kazakh National Nuclear Center General Director Erlan Batyrbekov said in his response to a formal inquiry filed by Interfax.
Institute specialists have been working inside and around the village, he said.
"Twelve prospecting wells have been drilled this year to measure concentrations of gas and radon activity and to take samples of gas, soil and water. Gas concentration and levels of subsoil water are being regularly measured in two observation wells," he said.
"The observations sporadically show excessive concentrations of carbon monoxide and low concentrations of oxygen in the air. Specialists continue their studies. A possible link between 'sleeping sickness' and the mothballed mines is the subject of our studies. It is possible that carbon monoxide present in the atmosphere may have two sources: natural, coming from the Earth surface, and manmade," Batyrbekov said.
"The works will last until April 2016, which is necessary for completing the cycle of studies of these parameters," he added.
Kalachi residents started to complain of somnolence, loss of memory and hallucinations in March 2013. All of them were diagnosed with encephalopathy of an unknown origin.
Thousands of tests were carried out but the origin of the disease remained unidentified.
The local authorities have decided to resettle the villagers. Many families have moved to other districts of the Akmola region and the neighboring Kostanai and Northern Kazakhstan regions. The village of Kalachi, which has a population of 680, is part of the Krasnogorsky rural district. It is located 600 meters from the former urban-type settlement of Krasnogorsk - which had a population of 6,500, most of whom were miners. Nowadays the town is called Krasnogorsky and its population has shrunk to 130. The town was operated by an ore mining department of the former Soviet Union and uranium ore was mined there from the 1960s to the 1990s. Uranium production there ceased in 1991-1992, after the fall of the Soviet Union. The mines were shut down and the land was reclaimed.