Kazakhstan. Sarzhal. Muslim graveyard with half-moon signs from the time of former Soviet Union. The village of Sarzhal is near the Semipalatinsk Polygon ( called today National Nuclear Center of Kazakhstan). The deceased man (commit suicide) is a third generation victim of the 456 atomic testing - 116 atmospheric, 340 underground - from 1949 to 1989. The regions high frequency of deaths is primarily due to fallout from nearby nuclear test sites. The dead man shows the human and environmental effects of nuclear radiation, genetic contamination and pollution from atomic tests programs of the former Soviet Union. Sarzhal is located in the Eastern Kazakhstan Province. © 2008 Didier Ruef