RE: Question About Historical Criticality Accident

[Hudson Scott A <Scott.Hudson@nw.amedd.army.mil>]

As I heard it (from someone giving a criticality lecture at a REAC/TS course
several years ago), the accident theatrically depicted by Kyle
McClaughlin(?) in the Paul-Newman-as-GEN-Leslie-Groves movie was a
combination of two actual criticality accidents early in the weapon program.
That may be the source of two dates, but only a guess on my part, based on
something someone said...

scott hudson
Madigan Army MedCen Health Physics
Tacoma  WA


-----Original Message-----
From: dsimpson@unlnotes01.unl.edu [mailto:dsimpson@unlnotes01.unl.edu]
Sent: Thursday, September 16, 1999 1:10 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Question About Historical Criticality Accident




One of the better known radiation accidents and early criticality fatality
was
an  experiment that happened at Los Alamos in August 1945.  It has been
depicted
(with great historical inaccuracies) in such movies as "Fat Man and Little
Boy".
As an amateur historian of radiation accidents, I've always found it curious
that two different dates are given for this accident in various references.
For
example, Ron Knief's book on Nuclear Criticality Safety gives Aug 8, while
TID-5360, "A Review of Criticality Accidents" lists Aug 21.  I have seen
several
other references as well, and there does not seem to be a clear consensus
between the two dates.
During a clean out of some old documents last week, I thought I had found a
reference that would clarify the date but it only added to the puzzle.  This
was
a 1968 AEC document entitled "Operational Accidents and Radiation Exposure
Experience, 1943-1967".  In this document, a chart on page 13 lists the
accident
as happening on Aug 21, while a description of the accident on page 33 lists
the
date as Aug 8.
My interest in the exact date is related to other historical events that
month.
The Aug 8 date would be in between the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
while
the later date would have been well after both bombings.  ("Fat Man and
Little
Boy" has the event happening before either bombing, but then that's
Hollywood.)
If anyone can clear this up and  give a definite date for this event, I
would
appreciate it.  Note that simply referring to a review publication,
especially
one from the last  30 years or so, probably doesn't solve the question,
since
there was clearly some conflicting information prior to that time.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
David R. Simpson, Ph.D., CHP
Radiation Safety Officer
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
dsimpson1@unl.edu
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


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