Abstract
The Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, formerly members of the Soviet Union, are all near to, or form a coast of, the Aral Sea. Intensive over-usage of water plus intensive pesticide and defoliant usage has created an ecological disaster of immense proportions in the area. Twenty-five years ago this was the fourth largest inland sea in the world. Its volume has now decreased by 75%, and its salinity has tripled. But the effects on the sea itself pale in comparison with the ecological and human impact on the whole of Central Asia. The documented health consequences include high rates of cancer, stillbirth and genetic abnormalities, impaired immune function, chronic gastritis and cardiovascular disease.
Key Words: