RE: Question About Historical Criticality Accident

["Frame, Paul" <FrameP@orau.gov>]

Dave

Do you have anything about the accident that is dated prior to 1960?

Paul

> -----Original Message-----
> From: dsimpson@unlnotes01.unl.edu [mailto:dsimpson@unlnotes01.unl.edu]
> Sent: Thursday, September 16, 1999 4:11 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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