The Semipalatinsk Test Site was home to at least 456 nuclear tests between 1949 and 1989, during the height of the Cold War. These top-secret missions were carried out with little regard for human or environmental impact in the surrounding area, just a few miles away. Locals celebrated when their town was selected to help advance technology, but since its closure in 1991, the full extent of the radiation damage left behind has been revealed. Related articles WW3: US secretly launched THREE nuclear rockets from Antarctica Russia DEMANDS US pull troops from Syria as Iran issues new threats... Saim Balmukhanov, the former Soviet Ministry of Health’s Chief Radiologist, says he tried to warn Russians of the effects more than 60 years ago. He detailed during Amazon Prime’s “The Polygon” series how he was left outraged after discovering the true extent of these tests. He said in 2014: “I first learned about the Polygon in 1952, but what really happened there I learned much later. “I was the Chief Radiologist of the Ministry of Health and I was worried about my people. Nuclear tests were carried out in Kazakhstan (Image: GETTY) The tests were carried out 18 kilometres from local towns (Image: AMAZON PRIME) Suddenly we were forbidden to carry out any more research Saim Balmukhanov “I was in charge of an expedition of geologists to study in detail the health of the people. “I was suffering with my people.” Mr Balmukhanov had his team run a number of tests in a bid to convince Soviet officials to shut down the protest, but his efforts were squashed. He continued: “We began extensive observation and studies and found the level of disease around the Polygon was two to three times higher than that 300 kilometres (186 miles) away. “Results from those joint expeditions and our earlier reports were presented in Moscow in March 1960, at a closed conference. “The outcome was positive and it was decided to help the people living in that area. “But suddenly we were forbidden to carry out any more research.” The Soviet Union wanted to see the military effects (Image: AMAZON PRIME) Dr Balmukhanov condemns the tests (Image: AMAZON PRIME) In 1989, the anti-nuclear movement was started in Kazakhstan called "Nevada Semipalatinsk”, led by poet Olzhas Suleimenov. The site was officially closed by then President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev on 29 August 1991, denuclearising the country. The site has now become the best-researched atomic testing site in the world and is open to the public to visit.All rights reserved for this news site express.co.uk and under his responsibility