ORNL-2748, Part A, "RADIATION ACCIDENTS: DOSIMETRIC ASPECTS OF NEUTRON AND GAMMA-RAY EXPOSURES", issued Nov. 2, 1959, only lists the date of the event in question as August 1945. However, it gives the following reference to a paper that may give a more precise answer. L. H. Hempelman, H. Lisco, and J. G. Hoffman, Ann. Int. Med. 36, 279 (1952).
Roger Pedersen
Senior Health Physicist
NRC
>>> "Michael C. Baker" <mcbaker@lanl.gov> 09/17 3:26 PM >>>
The Nuclear Criticality Information report (DOE/NCT-04, March
1989) contains a revised version of "A Review of Criticality Accidents"
(TID-4500). In that revised report it lists three early criticality
accidents as follows:
June 6, 1945 - pseudosphere of uranium cubes, water reflected, local control
August 21, 1945 - plutonium core reflected with tungsten carbide, hand assembly
May 21, 1945 - plutonium core reflected with beryllium, hand assembly
I also checked the original document TID-4500 and it lists the same
dates. Also, in the criticality safety training here at Los Alamos I seem
to recall that the accident in question occurred shortly after the dropping
of both bombs which would agree with the August 21st date. For more
information or guidance to another reference, you might try contacting
Thomas McLaughlin who is the group leader for criticality safety at Los
Alamos. His email is tpm@lanl.gov. If he doesn't know the answer to your
question he can probably provide you with a contact to a person who does.
Mike
______________________________________________
Michael C. Baker, Ph.D., P.E.
Environmental Technology Group
Environmental Science & Waste Technology Division
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Mail Stop J594, Los Alamos, NM 87545
mcbaker@lanl.gov
(505) 667-7334 (phone)
(505) 665-8346 (fax)
(505) 996-3519 (pager)
______________________________________________
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