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| This article lists notable military accidents involving nuclear material. Civilian accidents are listed at [[List of civilian nuclear accidents]]. For a general discussion of both civilian and military accidents, see [[nuclear and radiation accidents]].
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| {{See also|Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents}}
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| ==Scope of this article==
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| In listing military nuclear accidents, the following criteria have been adopted:
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| # There must be well-attested and substantial health damage, property damage or contamination.
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| # The damage must be related directly to radioactive material, not merely (for example) at a nuclear power plant.
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| # To qualify as "military", the nuclear operation/material must be principally for military purposes.
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| # To qualify as "accident", the damage should not be intentional, unlike in [[nuclear warfare]].
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| ==1940s==
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| *June 23, 1942 – [[Leipzig]], [[Germany]] (then [[Nazi Germany]]) – Steam explosion and reactor fire*
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| **Shortly after the Leipzig [[L-IV]] [[atomic pile]] — worked on by [[Werner Heisenberg]] and [[Robert Doepel]] — demonstrated Germany's first signs of neutron propagation, the device was checked for a possible [[heavy water]] leak. During the inspection, air leaked in, igniting the uranium powder inside. The burning uranium boiled the water jacket, generating enough steam pressure to blow the reactor apart. Burning uranium powder scattered throughout the lab causing a larger fire at the facility.<ref>http://www.mdr.de/echt/aktuell/7688484.html</ref><ref>[http://www.deutsches-museum.de/archiv/archiv-online/geheimdokumente/forschungszentren/leipzig/unfaelle/dokument-1/ R. Döpel, Beschreibung zweier Unfälle mit Uranoxid, 1941 bzw. 1942]</ref>
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| [[File:Slotin criticality drawing.jpg|right|250px|thumb|A sketch of [[Louis Slotin]]'s [[criticality accident]] used to determine exposure of those in the room at the time.]]
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| *August 21, 1945 – [[Los Alamos National Laboratory]], Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA – Accidental criticality
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| **[[Harry K. Daghlian, Jr.]] dropped a [[tungsten carbide]] brick onto a [[plutonium]] core, inadvertently creating a [[criticality accident|critical mass]] at the Los Alamos Omega site. He quickly removed the brick, but was fatally [[radiation poisoning|irradiated]], dying September 15.<ref>{{cite web | title = Harry K. Daghlian, Jr.: America's First Peacetime Atom Bomb Fatality | url = http://members.tripod.com/~Arnold_Dion/Daghlian/ | accessdate = 2007-06-17}}</ref>
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| *May 21, 1946 – [[Los Alamos National Laboratory]], Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA – Accidental criticality
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| **While demonstrating his technique to visiting scientists at Los Alamos, Canadian [[Nuclear physics|physicist]] [[Louis Slotin]] manually assembled a [[critical mass (nuclear)|critical mass]] of [[plutonium]]. A momentary slip of a screwdriver caused a [[prompt critical]] reaction. Slotin died on May 30 from massive radiation poisoning, with an estimated dose of 1,000 [[rad (unit)|rad]]s (rad), or 10 [[gray (unit)|grays]] (Gy). Seven observers, who received doses as high as 166 rads, survived, yet three died within a few decades from conditions believed to be radiation-related.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/19/magazine/america-s-radiation-victims-the-hidden-files.html | title=AMERICA'S RADIATION VICTIMS: The Hidden Files | author=Clifford T. Honicker | publisher=The New York Times Magazine | date=1989-11-19 | accessdate=2011-04-23}}</ref>
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| In the above incidents, both Daghlian (August 21, 1945 case) and Slotin (May 21, 1946 case), were working with the same bomb core which became known as the "[[demon core]]", which was eventually utilized for the [[Operation Crossroads#Test Able|''Able'' test detonation]] on July 1, 1946.
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| ==1950s==
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| *A USAF [[B-36 bomber]], [[B-36B 44-92075|AF Ser. No. 44-92075]], was flying a simulated combat mission from [[Eielson Air Force Base]], near [[Fairbanks, Alaska]], to [[Carswell Air Force Base]] in [[Fort Worth, Texas]], carrying one weapon containing a dummy warhead. The warhead contained uranium instead of plutonium. After six hours of flight, the bomber experienced mechanical problems and was forced to shut down three of its six engines at an altitude of {{convert|12000|ft}}. Fearing that severe weather and icing would jeopardize a safe emergency landing, the weapon was jettisoned over the Pacific Ocean from a height of {{convert|8000|ft|abbr=on}}. The weapon's [[high explosive]]s detonated upon impact. All of the sixteen crew members and one passenger were able to parachute from the plane and twelve were subsequently rescued from [[Princess Royal Island]]. The Pentagon's summary report does not mention if the weapon was later recovered.<ref name=Tiwari>{{cite web | author = Tiwari J, Gray CJ | title = U.S. Nuclear Weapons Accidents | url = http://www.cdi.org/Issues/NukeAccidents/accidents.htm | accessdate = 2007-06-17}}</ref>
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| *April 11, 1950 – [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], USA – Loss and recovery of nuclear materials
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| **Three minutes after departure from [[Kirtland Air Force Base]] in Albuquerque a USAF [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress|B-29 bomber]] carrying a nuclear weapon, four spare detonators, and a crew of thirteen crashed into a mountain near Manzano Base. The crash resulted in a fire which the ''[[New York Times]]'' reported as being visible from {{convert|15|mi}}. The bomb's casing was completely demolished and its high explosives ignited upon contact with the plane's burning fuel. However, according to the Department of Defense, the four spare detonators and all nuclear components were recovered. A nuclear detonation was not possible because, while on board, the weapon's core was not in the weapon for safety reasons. All thirteen crew members died.<ref name=Tiwari />
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| *July 13, 1950 – [[Lebanon, Ohio]], USA – Non-nuclear detonation of an atomic bomb
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| **USAF [[B-50 Superfortress|B-50]] aircraft on a training mission from [[Biggs Air Force Base]] with a nuclear weapon flew into the ground resulting in a high explosive detonation, but no nuclear explosion.<ref name="AFRRI"/>
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| *November 10, 1950 – [[Rivière-du-Loup]], [[Québec]], Canada – Non-nuclear detonation of an atomic bomb
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| **Returning one of several U.S. [[Mark 4 nuclear bomb]]s secretly deployed in Canada, a USAF [[B-50 Superfortress|B-50]] had engine trouble and jettisoned the weapon at {{convert|10500|ft}}. The crew set the bomb to self-destruct at {{convert|2500|ft|abbr=on}} and dropped over the [[St. Lawrence River]]. The explosion shook area residents and scattered nearly {{convert|100|lb}} of uranium (U-238) used in the weapon's tamper. The [[plutonium]] core ("[[pit (nuclear weapon)|pit]]") was not in the bomb at the time.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Norris RS, Arkin WM, Burr W | title = Where they were | journal = Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists | year = 1999 | volume = 55 | issue = 6 | pages = 26–35 | url = http://www.bullatomsci.org/issues/1999/nd99/nd99norris.html | doi = 10.2968/055006011}}</ref>
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| [[File:Bravo Fallout.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The [[Castle Bravo]] fallout pattern.]]
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| *March 1, 1954 – [[Bikini Atoll]], [[Marshall Islands|Republic of the Marshall Islands]] (then [[Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands]]) – Nuclear test accident
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| **During the [[Castle Bravo test]] of the first deployable [[Thermonuclear weapon|hydrogen bomb]], a miscalculation resulted in the explosion being over twice as large as predicted, with a total explosive force of {{convert|15|MtonTNT|lk=on}}. Of the total yield, {{convert|10|MtonTNT|lk=in|abbr=on}} were from fission of the natural uranium tamper, but those fission reactions were quite dirty, producing a large amount of [[Nuclear fallout|fallout]]. Combined with the much larger than expected yield and an unanticipated wind shift [[nuclear radiation|radioactive]] fallout was spread eastward onto the inhabited [[Rongelap Atoll|Rongelap]] and [[Rongerik Atoll]]s. These islands were not evacuated before the explosion due to the financial cost involved, but many of the [[Marshall Islands]] natives have since suffered from radiation burns and radioactive [[dust]]ing and also similar fates as the Japanese fishermen and have received little if any compensation from the [[U.S. government|federal government]]{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}. A Japanese fishing boat, ''[[Daigo Fukuryū Maru|Daigo Fukuryu Maru/Lucky Dragon]]'', also came into contact with the fallout, which caused many of the crew to take ill with one fatality. The test resulted in an international uproar and reignited Japanese concerns about radiation, especially with regard to the possible [[Radioactive contamination|contamination]] of fish. Personal accounts of the Rongelap people can be seen in the documentary ''[[Children of Armageddon]]''.
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| *November 29, 1955 – [[Idaho]], USA – Partial meltdown
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| **Operator error led to a partial [[core meltdown]] in the experimental [[Experimental Breeder Reactor I|EBR-I]] [[breeder reactor]], resulting in temporarily elevated radioactivity levels in the reactor building and necessitating significant repair.<ref>{{cite web | author = Rohrig ND | title = Dose Reconstruction Project for NIOSH | url = http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ocas/pdfs/tbd/anlw2.pdf | date = 2004-09-09 | accessdate = 2007-06-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Industrial/Warnings of Serious Risks for Nuclear Reactor Operations | work = | url = http://mt.sopris.net/mpc/industrial/nuclear.operations.html | accessdate = 2007-06-17}}</ref>
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| *March 10, 1956 – Over the [[Mediterranean Sea]] – Nuclear weapons lost
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| **A USAF [[B-47 Stratojet]], [[1956 B-47 disappearance|AF Ser. No. 52-534]], on a non-stop mission from MacDill Air Force Base to an overseas base descended into a cloud formation at 14,000 feet over the Mediterranean in preparation for an in-air refuelling and vanished while carrying two nuclear weapon cores. The plane was lost while flying through dense clouds, and the cores and other wreckage were never located.<ref>{{cite web | title = Broken Arrow Nuclear Weapon Accidents | work = | url = http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/weapons/q0268.shtml | accessdate = 2008-11-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Broken Arrow B-47 | work = | url = http://www.check-six.com/lib/Famous_Missing/Broken_Arrow_B47.htm | accessdate = 2008-11-29}}</ref><ref name="CG-HR-3">{{cite web | title=Historical Records Declassification Guide, CG-HR-3, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, Appendix B |date=October 2005 |publisher= Office of Classification and Information Control, DoE | url=http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/doe/cg-hr-3/appb.pdf}}</ref>
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| *July 27, 1956 – [[Lakenheath]] in [[Suffolk]], UK – Nuclear weapons damaged
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| ** A USAF [[B-47]] crashed into a storage igloo spreading burning fuel over three [[Mark 6 nuclear bomb]]s at [[RAF Lakenheath]]. A bomb disposal expert stated it was a miracle exposed detonators on one bomb did not fire, which presumably would have released nuclear material into the environment.<ref>{{cite web | title = nh4_1.gif | work = | url = http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/NC/nh4_1.gif | accessdate = 2007-06-17}}</ref>
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| *May 22, 1957 – [[Kirtland AFB]] in [[New Mexico]], USA – Non-nuclear detonation of an atomic weapon
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| ** A B-36 ferrying a nuclear weapon from Biggs AFB to Kirtland AFB dropped a nuclear weapon on approach to Kirtland AFB. The weapon impacted the ground 4.5 miles south of the Kirtland control tower and 0.3 miles west of the Sandia Base reservation. The weapon was completely destroyed by the detonation of its high explosive material, creating a crater 12 feet deep and 25 feet in diameter. Radioactive contamination at the crater lip amounted to 0.5 [[milliroentgen]].<ref name="CG-HR-3"/>
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| *July 28, 1957 – Atlantic Ocean – Two weapons jettisoned and not recovered
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| **A USAF [[C-124 Globemaster II|C-124]] aircraft from [[Dover Air Force Base]], Delaware was carrying three nuclear bombs over the Atlantic Ocean when it experienced a loss of power. The crew jettisoned two nuclear bombs to protect their safety, which were never recovered.<ref name="AFRRI"/>
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| *September 11, 1957 – [[Rocky Flats Plant]], [[Golden, Colorado]], USA – Fire, release of nuclear materials
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| **A fire began in a materials handling [[glovebox|glove box]] and spread through the ventilation system into the [[stack filter]]s at the Rocky Flats weapons mill {{convert|27|km}} from [[Denver, Colorado]]. [[Plutonium]] and other contaminants were released, but the exact amount of which contaminants is unknown; estimates range from 25 [[milligram|mg]] to 250 [[kilogram|kg]].<ref>{{cite web | title = A Brief History of Nuclear Fission and its Opposition | url = http://www.energy-net.org/01NUKE/nhistory.htm | accessdate = 2007-06-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = 1957 Fire | work = Citizen Summary: Rocky Flats Historical Public Exposures Studies | url = http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/rf/1957fire.htm | accessdate = 2007-06-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author = Rood AS, Grogan HA | title = Estimated Exposure and Lifetime Cancer Incidence Risk from Plutonium Released from the 1957 Fire at the Rocky Flats Plant | work = RAC Report No. 2-CDPHE-RFP-1999-FINAL | url = http://www.racteam.com/Experience/Publications/RF_1957_Fire_Risk.htm | accessdate = 2007-06-17 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20061229235048/http://www.racteam.com/Experience/Publications/RF_1957_Fire_Risk.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2006-12-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | author = Wasserman H, Solomon N | title = Bomb Production at Rocky Flats: Death Downwind. In: Killing Our Own: The Disaster of America's Experience with Atomic Radiation | publisher = Delta | isbn = 0-440-54566-6 {{Please check ISBN|reason=Check digit (6) does not correspond to calculated figure.}} | url = http://www.ratical.org/radiation/KillingOurOwn/KOO8.html | accessdate = 2007-06-17}}</ref>
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| *29 September 1957 – [[Kyshtym]], [[Chelyabinsk Oblast]], Russia (then [[USSR]]) – Explosion, release of nuclear materials
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| **''See [[Kyshtym disaster]]''. A cooling system failure at the [[Mayak]] nuclear processing plant resulted in a major explosion and release of radioactive materials. Hundreds of people died and hundreds of thousands were evacuated.<ref>{{cite web | title = Ural Mountains Nuclear Waste | url = http://www.american.edu/projects/mandala/TED/ural.htm | accessdate = 2007-06-17}}</ref>
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| *October 8–12, 1957 – [[Sellafield]], [[Cumbria]], UK – Reactor core fire
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| **''See [[Windscale fire]]''. Technicians mistakenly overheated Windscale [[Pile (nuclear reactor)|Pile]] No. 1 during an [[annealing (metallurgy)|annealing]] process to release [[Wigner energy]] from [[graphite]] portions of the reactor. Poorly placed temperature sensors indicated the reactor was cooling rather than heating. The excess heat led to the failure of a nuclear cartridge, which in turn allowed uranium and irradiated graphite to react with air. The resulting fire burned for days, damaging a significant portion of the reactor core. About 150 burning fuel cells could not be lifted from the core, but operators succeeded in creating a [[firebreak]] by removing nearby fuel cells. An effort to cool the graphite core with water eventually quenched the fire. The reactor had released radioactive gases into the surrounding countryside, primarily in the form of [[iodine-131]] (<sup>131</sup>I). [[Milk]] distribution was banned in a {{convert|200|sqmi|adj=on}} area around the reactor for several weeks. A 1987 report by the National Radiological Protection Board predicted the accident would cause as many as 33 long-term cancer deaths, although the Medical Research Council Committee concluded that "it is in the highest degree unlikely that any harm has been done to the health of anybody, whether a worker in the Windscale plant or a member of the general public." The reactor that burned was one of two air-cooled graphite-moderated natural uranium reactors at the site used for production of [[plutonium]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Windscale Nuclear Incident | work = The Virtual Nuclear Tourist | url = http://www.nucleartourist.com/events/windscal.htm | date = 2005-12-22 | accessdate = 2007-06-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = The 1957 Windscale Fire | url = http://www.lakestay.co.uk/1957.htm | accessdate = 2007-06-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Sellafield | work = United Kingdom Nuclear Forces | url = http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/uk/sellafield.htm | date = 2005-04-28 | accessdate = 2007-06-17}}</ref>
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| *October 11, 1957 – [[Homestead Air Force Base]], Florida – Nuclear bomb burned after B-47 aircraft accident<ref name="DOD1981">{{cite web|url=http://www.dod.gov/pubs/foi/reading_room/21.pdf|title=Narrative Summary of Accidents Involving U.S. Nuclear Weapons 1950–1980|publisher=[[United States Department of Defence]]|date=April 1981|accessdate=2009-04-23}}</ref>
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| **B-47 aircraft crashed during take-off after a wheel exploded; one nuclear bomb burned in the resulting fire.
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| *January 31, 1958 – [[Morocco]] – Nuclear bomb damaged in crash<ref name="DOD1981"/>
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| **During a simulated takeoff a wheel casting failure caused the tail of a [[U.S. Air Force|USAF]] B-47 carrying an armed nuclear weapon to hit the runway, rupturing a fuel tank and sparking a fire. Some contamination was detected immediately following the accident.<ref>{{cite journal | title = U.S. Department of Defense Nuclear Weapons Accident 1950–1980: Introduction | journal = The Defense Monitor | year = 1981 | url = http://www.milnet.com/cdiart.htm | accessdate = 2007-06-17 | issn = 0195-6450}}</ref><ref name=GlobalSecurity>{{cite web | title = Broken Arrows | work = United Kingdom Nuclear Forces | url = http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/ops/broken-arrow.htm | date = 2005-04-28 | accessdate = 2007-06-17}}</ref>
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| *February 5, 1958 – [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], USA – Nuclear bomb lost
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| **''See [[1958 Tybee Island mid-air collision]]''. A USAF B-47 bomber jettisoned a [[Mark 15 nuclear bomb|Mark 15 Mod 0 nuclear bomb]] over the Atlantic Ocean after a [[midair collision]] with a USAF [[North American F-86 Sabre|F-86 Sabre]] during a simulated combat mission from [[Homestead Air Force Base]], Florida. The F-86's pilot [[ejection seat|ejected]] and [[parachute]]d to safety. The USAF claimed the B-47 tried landing at [[Hunter Air Force Base]], Georgia three times before the bomb was jettisoned at {{convert|7200|ft|abbr=on}} near [[Tybee Island, Georgia|Tybee Island]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. The B-47 pilot successfully landed in one attempt only after he first jettisoned the bomb. A {{convert|3|sqmi|adj=on}} area near [[Wassaw Sound]] was searched for 9 weeks before the search was called off. The bomb was searched for in 2001 and not found. A group of investigators in 2004 claim to have found an underwater object which they think is the bomb.<ref>{{cite news | author = CNN | title = Lost nuclear bomb possibly found: Device dropped in ocean off Georgia during Cold War| url = http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/09/13/lost.bomb/ | publisher = CNN.com| date = 2004-09-13 | accessdate = 2007-06-17 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070401015613/http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/09/13/lost.bomb/ <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-04-01}}</ref>
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| *March 11, 1958 – [[Mars Bluff, South Carolina]], USA – Non-nuclear detonation of a nuclear bomb
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| **A USAF B-47 bomber flying from [[Hunter Air Force Base]] in [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] accidentally released an atomic bomb.<ref>[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VHVLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FCQNAAAAIBAJ&pg=6195,966992&dq=florence+h+bomb+hunter&hl=en Accidents stir concern here and in Britain]</ref> A home was destroyed and several people injured but the bomb's plutonium core did not explode.<ref>[http://www.thecolumbiastar.com/news/2008-03-21/news/036.html Atomic Bomb dropped on Florence, S.C., March 11, 1958 ]</ref>
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| *June 16, 1958 – [[Oak Ridge, Tennessee]], USA – Accidental criticality
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| **A supercritical portion of highly enriched [[uranyl nitrate]] was allowed to collect in the drum causing a [[prompt critical|prompt neutron]] criticality in the C-1 wing of building 9212 at the [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]] [[Y-12]] complex. It is estimated that the reaction produced 1.3 × 10<sup>18</sup><!-- <math>\begin{smallmatrix}1.3 * 10^{18}\end{smallmatrix}</math> --> fissions. Eight employees were in close proximity to the drum during the accident, receiving [[neutron radiation|neutron]] doses ranging from 30 to 477 [[Röntgen equivalent man|rems]]. No fatalities were reported.<ref name=Walker>{{cite web | author = Walker G | title = Criticality Accidents | work = Trinity Atomic Web Site | url = http://www.cddc.vt.edu/host/atomic/accident/critical.html | accessdate = 2007-06-17}}</ref>
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| *December 30, 1958 – [[Los Alamos, New Mexico]], USA – Accidental criticality
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| **During chemical purification a [[critical mass]] of a plutonium solution was accidentally assembled at [[Los Alamos National Laboratory]]. A chemical operator named [[Cecil Kelley criticality accident|Cecil Kelley]] died of acute radiation sickness. The March, 1961 ''[[Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine]]'' printed a special supplement medically analyzing this accident. Hand-manipulations of critical assemblies were abandoned as a matter of policy in U.S. federal facilities after this accident.<ref name=Walker />
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| *November 20, 1959 – [[Oak Ridge, Tennessee]], USA – Explosion
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| **A chemical explosion occurred during decontamination of processing machinery in the radiochemical processing plant at [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]] in [[Tennessee]] . (Report ORNL-2989, Oak Ridge National Laboratory). The accident resulted in the release of about {{convert|15|g|lk=on}} of [[Plutonium-239|<sup>239</sup>Pu]].
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| ==1960s==
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| *June 7, 1960 – [[New Egypt, New Jersey]], USA – Nuclear warhead damaged by fire
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| **A [[helium]] tank exploded and ruptured the fuel tanks of a USAF [[BOMARC|BOMARC-A]] [[surface-to-air missile]] at [[McGuire Air Force Base]], New Jersey. The fire destroyed the missile, and contaminated the area directly below and adjacent to the missile.<ref name=GlobalSecurity /><ref>{{Cite news
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| | last = Gambardello
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| | first = Joseph A.
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| | title = Plutonium Spill Neither Gone Nor Forgotten, 40 Years Later
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| | newspaper = [[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]
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| | location = [[Philadelphia]]
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| | date = 1 June 200
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| | page = A01}}</ref>
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| *October 13, 1960 – [[Barents Sea]], Arctic Ocean – Release of nuclear materials
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| **A leak developed in the steam generators and in a pipe leading to the compensator reception on the ill-fated [[Soviet submarine K-8|''K-8'']] while the [[USSR|Soviet]] [[Northern Fleet]] [[November class|''November''-class]] [[submarine]] was on exercise. While the crew rigged an improvised cooling system, radioactive gases leaked into the vessel and three of the crew suffered visible radiation injuries according to radiological experts in Moscow. Some crew members had been exposed to doses of up to 1.8–2 [[Sievert|Sv]] (180–200 rem).<ref>{{cite web | title = K-8 submarine reactor accident, 1960 | work = Database of radiological incidents and related events – Johnston's Archive | url = http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/nuclear/radevents/1960USSR1.html | date = 2004-06-10 |accessdate = 2007-06-17}}</ref>
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| [[File:US AEC SL-1.JPG|thumb|right|333px|[[SL-1]] reactor being removed from the [[National Reactor Testing Station]].]]
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| *January 3, 1961 – [[National Reactor Testing Station]], [[Idaho]], USA – Accidental criticality, steam explosion, 3 fatalities, release of fission products
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| **During a maintenance shutdown, the [[SL-1]] experimental nuclear reactor underwent a [[prompt critical]] reaction causing core materials to explosively vaporize. [[Water hammer]] estimated at {{convert|10000|psi}} struck the top of the reactor vessel propelling the entire reactor vessel upwards over {{convert|9|ft}} in the air. One operator who had been standing on top of the vessel was killed when a shield plug impaled him and lodged in the ceiling. Two other military personnel were also killed from the trauma of the explosion, one of which had removed the central control rod too far. The plant had to be dismantled and the contamination was buried permanently nearby. Most of the release of radioactive materials was concentrated within the reactor building.
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| :{{details|SL-1}}
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| *January 24, 1961 – [[1961 Goldsboro B-52 crash|Goldsboro B-52 crash]] – Physical destruction of a nuclear bomb, loss of nuclear materials
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| **A USAF [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52]] [[bomber aircraft|bomber]] caught fire and exploded in midair due to a major leak in a wing fuel cell {{convert|12|mi}} north of [[Seymour Johnson Air Force Base]], North Carolina. Five crewmen [[parachute]]d to safety, but three died—two in the aircraft and one on landing. The incident released the bomber's two [[W39|Mark 39]] [[hydrogen bomb]]s. Three of the four arming devices on one of the bombs activated, causing it to carry out many of the steps needed to arm itself, such as the charging of the firing [[capacitor]]s and, critically, the deployment of a {{convert|100|ft|adj=on}} diameter retardation [[parachute]]. The parachute allowed the bomb to hit the ground with little damage. The fourth arming device — the pilot's safe/arm switch — was not activated preventing detonation. The second bomb plunged into a muddy field at around {{convert|700|mph|m/s|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} and disintegrated. Its tail was discovered about {{convert|20|ft|sigfig=1}} down and much of the bomb recovered, including the [[tritium]] bottle and the [[plutonium]]. However, excavation was abandoned due to uncontrollable ground water flooding. Most of the [[thermonuclear]] stage, containing [[uranium]], was left ''[[in situ]]''. It is estimated to lie around {{convert|55|ft}} below ground. The [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] purchased the land and fenced it off to prevent its disturbance, and it is tested regularly for contamination, although none has so far been found.<ref>{{cite web | title = Broken Arrow: Goldsboro, NC | url = http://www.ibiblio.org/bomb/ | date = 2000-12-04 | accessdate = 2007-06-17}}</ref>
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| *March 14, 1961 – [[1961 Yuba City B-52 crash]]
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| **USAF [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52]] [[bomber aircraft|bomber]] experienced a [[uncontrolled decompression|decompression event]] that required it to fly below 10,000 feet. Resulting increased fuel consumption led to fuel exhaustion; the aircraft crashed with two nuclear bombs, which did not trigger a nuclear explosion.
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| *July 4, 1961 – coast of Norway – Near meltdown
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| ** The [[Soviet Navy|Soviet]] [[Hotel class|''Hotel''-class]] submarine ''[[Soviet submarine K-19|K-19]]'' suffered a failure in its cooling system. Reactor core temperatures reached {{convert|800|C|sigfig=2}}, nearly enough to melt the fuel rods, although the crew was able to regain temperature control by using emergency procedures. The incident contaminated parts of the ship, some of the onboard ballistic missiles and the crew, resulting in several fatalities. The movie ''[[K-19: The Widowmaker]]'', starring [[Harrison Ford]] and [[Liam Neeson]], offers a controversially fictionalized story of these events.
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| *May 1, 1962 – Sahara desert, [[French Algeria]] – Accidental venting of underground nuclear test
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| ** The second French underground nuclear test, codenamed [[Béryl incident|Béryl]], took place in a shaft under mount Taourirt, near In Ecker, 150 km (100 mi) north of [[Tamanrasset]], [[Algeria]]n [[Sahara]]. Due to improper sealing of the shaft, a spectacular flame burst through the concrete cap and radioactive gases and dust were vented into the atmosphere. The plume climbed up to 2600 m (8500 ft) high and radiation was detected hundreds of km away. About a hundred soldiers and officials, including two ministers, were irradiated. The number of contaminated Algerians is unknown.
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| *April 10, 1963 – Loss of nuclear reactor
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| **Submarine [[USS Thresher (SSN-593)|USS ''Thresher'']] sinks about {{convert|190|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}} east of [[Cape Cod]], [[Massachusetts]] due to improper welds allowing in seawater which forced a shutdown of the reactor. Poor design of its emergency ballast system prevented the ship from surfacing and the disabled ship ultimately descended to [[crush depth]] and [[implosion (mechanical process)|imploded]].
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| *January 13, 1964 – [[Salisbury, Pennsylvania]] and [[Frostburg, Maryland]], USA – Accidental loss and recovery of thermonuclear bombs
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| **A USAF B-52 on airborne alert duty encountered a severe winter storm and extreme turbulence, ultimately disintegrating in mid-air over South Central Pennsylvania.<ref>{{cite web | title = Cold War Mission Ended In Tragedy for B-52 Crew | url = http://www.salisburypa.com/buzzonefour.html}}</ref> Only the two pilots survived. One crew member failed to bail out and the rest succumbed to injuries or exposure to the harsh winter weather. A search for the missing weapons was initiated, and recovery was effected from portions of the wreckage at a farm northwest of Frostburg, MD.
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| *April 21, 1964 – Indian Ocean – Launch failure of a [[Radioisotope thermoelectric generator|RTG]] powered satellite
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| **A U.S. [[Transit (satellite)|Transit-5BN-3]] nuclear-powered navigational [[artificial satellite|satellite]] failed to reach orbital velocity and began falling back down at {{convert|150000|ft|km}} above the Indian Ocean.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.astronautix.com/craft/transit.htm|title=Transit|last=Wade|first=Mark|date=1997–2008|accessdate=3 April 2010}}</ref> The satellite's [[Systems Nuclear Auxiliary Power Program|SNAP]]-9a generator contained 17 [[Kilocurie|kCi]] (630 [[Terabecquerel|TBq]])<ref name="NASACi"/> of [[Plutonium-238|<sup>238</sup>Pu]] (2.1 pounds), which at least partially burned upon reentry.<ref>{{cite book|last=Livingston|first=Hugh D.|title=Marine radioactivity|publisher=Elsevier|year=2004|series=Radioactivity in the environment|volume=6|pages=129|isbn=0-08-043714-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Aftergood|first=Steven|date=Oct 1986|title=Nuclear space mishaps and Star Wars|journal=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists|volume=42|issue=8|pages=40}}</ref><ref name="gpmay">{{cite book|last=May|first=John|title=The Greenpeace book of the nuclear age: the hidden history, the human cost|publisher=Pantheon Books|year=1990|chapter=US SPACE NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAMME|isbn=0-679-72963-1|url=http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press/reports/the-greenpeace-book-of-the-nuc.pdf|accessdate=3 Apr 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Grossman|first=Karl|date=Summer 2002|title=Plutonium in Space (Again!)|journal=Covert Action Quarterly|issue=73}}</ref> Increased levels of <sup>238</sup>Pu were first documented in the stratosphere four months later. Indeed NASA (in the 1995 Cassini FEIS)<ref name="NASACi">{{cite web|url=http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/safety/chap3.pdf|title=Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cassini Mission|date=June 1995|publisher=NASA|pages=3–44|accessdate=4 April 2010}}</ref> indicated that the SNAP-9a plutonium release was nearly double the 9000Ci added by all the atmospheric weapons tests to that date.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.space4peace.org/ianus/npsm3.htm|title=Nuclear Powered Space Missions – Past and Future|last=Hagen|first=Regina|date=11/8/98|accessdate=4 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Plutonium | work = Radiation Information | url = http://www.epa.gov/radiation/radionuclides/plutonium.html| date = 2006-10-06 |accessdate = 2010-04-03}}</ref> The [[United States Atomic Energy Commission]] reported a resulting threefold increase in global <sup>238</sup>Pu fallout.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1038/241444a0|last1=Hardy|first1=E. P.|coauthors=E. P. HARDY, P. W. KREY & H. L. VOLCHOK|date=16 February 1973|title=Global Inventory and Distribution of Fallout Plutonium|journal=Nature|volume=241|pages=444–445|issue=5390}}</ref><ref>Hardy E. P., P. W. Krey, and H. L. Volchok. "Global Inventory and Distribution of Plutonium 238 from SNAP-9A," USERDA Report HASL-250, March (1972).</ref> All subsequent Transit satellites were fitted with solar panels; RTG's were designed to remain contained during re-entry.
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| | |
| *8 December 1964 – [[Grissom Joint Air Reserve Base|Bunker Hill Air Force Base]], USA – Fire, radioactive contamination
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| ** USAF [[B-58 Hustler|B-58]] aircraft carrying a nuclear weapon caught fire while taxiing. Nuclear weapon burned, causing contamination of the crash area.<ref name="AFRRI">{{cite web|url=http://www.afrri.usuhs.mil/outreach/reports/pdf/SP86-2.pdf|publisher=[[Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute]]|title=DoD Mishaps|date=March 1986|accessdate=2008-12-04|author=HR Lease}}</ref>
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| *January 1965 – [[Livermore, California]], USA – Release of nuclear materials
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| **An accident at [[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory]] released 300 kCi (11 PBq) of [[tritium]] gas. Subsequent study found this release was not likely to produce adverse health effects in the surrounding communities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/PHA/livermore1/lnl_p1.html |title=ATSDR – Health Consultation – Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (U.S. DOE), Livermore, Alameda County, California |publisher=Atsdr.cdc.gov |date=2009-11-30 |accessdate=2010-01-27}}</ref>
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| *11 October 1965 – [[Rocky Flats Plant]], [[Golden, Colorado]], USA – Fire, exposure of workers
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| **A fire at Rocky Flats exposed a crew of 25 to up to 17 times the legal limit for radiation.
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| | |
| *December 5, 1965 – coast of Japan – Loss of a nuclear bomb
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| **A U.S. Navy [[A-4 Skyhawk|A-4E Skyhawk]] aircraft with one [[B43 nuclear bomb]] on board fell off the [[aircraft carrier]] [[USS Ticonderoga (CV 14)|''Ticonderoga'']] into {{convert|16200|ft}} of water while the ship was underway from [[Vietnam]] to [[Yokosuka (city)|Yokosuka]], Japan. The plane, pilot and weapon were never recovered. There is dispute over exactly where the incident took place—the [[United States Department of Defense|U.S. Defense Department]] originally stated it took place {{convert|500|mi}} off the coast of Japan, but [[United States Navy|Navy]] documents later show it happened about {{convert|80|mi}} from the [[Ryukyu Islands]] and {{convert|200|mi}} from [[Okinawa]].<ref>{{cite news | author = CNN | title = Cold War: Broken Arrows (1960e) | url = http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/experience/the.bomb/broken.arrows/content/1960e.html | publisher = CNN.com | year = 1998 | accessdate = 2007-06-17 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070327211540/http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/experience/the.bomb/broken.arrows/content/1960e.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-03-27}}</ref>
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| *January 17, 1966 – [[1966 Palomares B-52 crash|Palomares incident]] – Accidental destruction, loss and recovery of nuclear bombs
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| **A USAF B-52 carrying four hydrogen bombs collided with a [[United States Air Force|USAF]] [[KC-135]] [[tanker aircraft|jet tanker]] during over-ocean [[in-flight refueling]]. Four of the B-52's seven crew members parachuted to safety while the remaining three were killed along with all four of the KC-135's crew. The conventional explosives in two of the bombs detonated upon impact with the ground, dispersing plutonium over nearby farms. A third bomb landed intact near [[Palomares, Almería|Palomares]] while the fourth fell {{convert|12|mi}} off the coast into the Mediterranean sea. The US Navy conducted a three-month search involving 12,000 men and successfully recovered the fourth bomb. The U.S. Navy employed the use of the deep-diving research submarine [[DSV Alvin|DSV ''Alvin'']] to aid in the recovery efforts. During the ensuing cleanup, {{convert|1500|t|ST|lk=on}} of radioactive soil and tomato plants were shipped to a nuclear dump in [[Aiken, South Carolina]]. The U.S. settled claims by 522 Palomares residents for [[United States dollar|$]]600,000. The town also received a $200,000 [[desalinization]] plant. The motion picture ''[[Men of Honor]]'' (2000), starring [[Cuba Gooding, Jr.]], as [[United States Navy|USN]] Diver Carl Brashear, and [[Robert De Niro]] as USN Diver Billy Sunday, contained an account of the fourth bomb's recovery.<ref>http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/11/europe/journal.php</ref>
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| *January 21, 1968 – [[1968 Thule Air Base B-52 crash]], [[Greenland]] – Loss and partial recovery of nuclear bombs
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| **A fire broke out in the [[navigator]]'s compartment of a USAF [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52]] near [[Thule Air Base]], [[Greenland]]. The bomber crashed {{convert|7|mi}} from the air base, rupturing its nuclear payload of four hydrogen bombs. The recovery and decontamination effort was complicated by Greenland's harsh weather. Contaminated ice and debris were buried in the United States. Bomb fragments were recycled by [[Pantex]], in [[Amarillo, Texas]]. The incident caused outrage and protests in Denmark, as Greenland is a Danish possession and Denmark forbade nuclear weapons on its territory.
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| *May 22, 1968 – 740 km (400 nmi) southwest of the [[Azores]] – Loss of nuclear reactor and two [[W34 (nuclear warhead)|W34]] nuclear warheads
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| **The [[USS Scorpion (SSN-589)|USS ''Scorpion'' (SSN-589)]] sank while en route from Rota, Spain, to Naval Base Norfolk. The cause of sinking remains unknown; all 99 officers and men on board were killed. The wreckage of the ship, its [[S5W reactor|S5W]] reactor, and its two [[Mark 45 torpedo|Mark 45]] torpedoes with [[W34 (nuclear warhead)|W34]] nuclear warheads, remain on the sea floor in more than 3,000 m (9,800 ft) of water.
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| *May 24, 1968 – location unknown – Loss of cooling, radioactive contamination, nuclear fuel damaged
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| **During sea trials the Soviet nuclear submarine [[Soviet submarine K-27|''K-27'']] (Project 645) suffered severe problems with its reactor cooling systems. After spending some time at reduced power, reactor output inexplicably dropped and sensors detected an increase of [[gamma ray|gamma radiation]] in the reactor compartment to 150 [[rad (unit)|rad]]/h. The safety buffer tank released radioactive gases further contaminating the submarine. The crew shut the reactor down and subsequent investigation found that approximately 20% of the fuel assemblies were damaged. The entire submarine was scuttled in the [[Kara Sea]] in 1981.
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| *August 27, 1968 – [[Severodvinsk]], Russia (then [[USSR]]) – Reactor power excursion, contamination
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| **While in the naval yards at Severodvinsk for repairs Soviet [[Yankee class submarine|''Yankee''-class]] [[nuclear submarine]] K-140 suffered an uncontrolled increase of the reactor's power output. One of the reactors activated automatically when workers raised control rods to a higher position and power increased to 18 times normal, while pressure and temperature levels in the reactor increased to four times normal. The accident also increased radiation levels aboard the vessel. The problem was traced to the incorrect installation of control rod electrical cables.
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| *May 11, 1969 – [[Rocky Flats Plant]], [[Golden, Colorado]], USA – Plutonium fire, contamination
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| **An accident in which 5 [[kilogram]]s of plutonium burnt inside a [[glovebox]] at Rocky Flats. Cleanup took two years and was the costliest industrial accident ever to occur in the United States at that time.<ref>{{cite web
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| | last = Snider
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| | first = Laura
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| | title = Looking back on Mother's Day fire at Rocky Flats
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| | work = Boulder & County News
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| | publisher = [[Boulder Daily Camera]]
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| | date = 2009-05-10
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| | url = http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/may/10/rocky-flats-1969-fire-plutonium-denver-boulder/
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| | quote = On Mother's Day in 1969... the worst industrial conflagration the country had ever seen... when Building 776–777 on the Rocky Flats campus eight miles south of Boulder caught fire...
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| | accessdate = 2009-07-26}}{{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
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| | last = Greenlee
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| | first = Robert
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| | title = Rocky Flats Colorado Nuclear Weapons Production Facility 1952–1988
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| | work = ME 360L – Mechanical Engineering Design III
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| | publisher = [[University of New Mexico]]
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| | date = 2008-04-24
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| | format = PDF
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| | url = http://www.unm.edu/~bgreen/ME360/Rocky%20Flats%20Colorado.pdf
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| | quote = 1969 Fire ... * Most costly industrial accident in US * 2 years to clean up
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| | accessdate = 2009-07-26}}{{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
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| | last = Moore
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| | first = LeRoy
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| | title = Guilt or innocence at Rocky Flats
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| | work = NUCLEAR NEXUS » Local Hazards » Rocky Flats
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| | publisher = Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center
| |
| | date = January 2006
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| | format = PDF
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| | url = http://www.rmpjc.org/system/files/RF+case+to+jury_Moore+1-06.pdf
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| | quote = A fire at Rocky Flats on Mother's Day, May 11, 1969, turned out to be the worst industrial fire to date in US history.
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| | accessdate = 2009-07-26}}{{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
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| ==1970s==
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| *April 12, 1970 – [[Bay of Biscay]] – Loss of a nuclear submarine
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| **The [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[November class|''November''-class]] [[attack submarine]] [[Soviet submarine K-8|''K-8'']] sank during salvage with 52 sailors onboard after suffering fires in two compartments simultaneously. Both reactors were shut down. The crew attempted to hook a tow line to an [[Soviet bloc|Eastern Bloc]] [[merchant marine|merchant vessel]], but ultimately failed.<ref>{{cite news | author = CNN | title = Cold War: Broken Arrows (1970a)| url = http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/experience/the.bomb/broken.arrows/content/1970a.html | publisher = CNN.com | year = 1998 | accessdate = 2007-06-17 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070330225510/http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/experience/the.bomb/broken.arrows/content/1970a.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-03-30}}</ref>
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| [[File:Operation Emery - Baneberry.jpg|thumb|Baneberry's radioactive plume rises from a shock fissure. Contaminants were carried in three different directions by the wind.]]
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| *December 18, 1970 – [[Nevada Test Site]] – Accidental venting of nuclear explosion
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| **In [[Area 8 (Nevada National Security Site)|Area 8]] on [[Yucca Flat]], the 10 kiloton "Baneberry" weapons test of [[Operation Emery]] detonated as planned at the bottom of a sealed vertical shaft 900 feet below the Earth's surface but the device's energy cracked the soil in unexpected ways, causing a fissure near ground zero and the failure of the shaft stemming and cap.<ref>[https://asc.llnl.gov/news/news_archive/baneberry.pdf Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. News Archive. Tarabay H. Antoun. ''Three Dimensional Simulation of the Baneberry Nuclear Event'']</ref> A plume of hot gases and radioactive dust was released three and a half minutes after ignition,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digital.library.unlv.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/nts&CISOPTR=1283 |title=University of Las Vegas. Nevada Test Site Oral History Project. ''Clifford Olsen'' (interviewed September 20, 2004) |publisher=Digital.library.unlv.edu |date= |accessdate=2010-01-27}}</ref> and continuing for many hours, raining fallout on workers within NTS. Six percent of the explosion's radioactive products were vented. The plume released 6.7 MCi of radioactive material, including 80 kCi of [[Iodine-131]] and a high ratio of noble gases.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.cancer.gov/i131/fallout/Chapter2.pdf|work=[[National Cancer Institute]]|at=Chapter 2|title=Estimated Exposures and Thyroid Doses Received by the American People from Iodine-131 in Fallout Following Nevada Atmospheric Nuclear Bomb Tests: History of the Nevada Test Site and Nuclear Testing Background|format=pdf|date=September 1997|id=[[National Institute of Health|NIH]] 97-4264}}</ref> After dropping a portion of its load in the area, the hot cloud's lighter particles were carried to three altitudes and conveyed by winter storms and the jet stream to be deposited heavily as [[radionuclide]]-laden snow in [[Lassen County, California|Lassen]] and [[Sierra County, California|Sierra]] counties in northeast California, and to lesser degrees in northern Nevada, southern Idaho and some eastern sections of Oregon and Washington states.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.260press.com/gallery-33.htm |title=Two-Sixty Press. Richard L. Miller. Fallout Maps. ''Gallery 33'' |publisher=260press.com |date= |accessdate=2010-01-27}}</ref> The three diverging jet stream layers conducted radionuclides across the US to Canada, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Some 86 workers at the site were exposed to radioactivity, but according to the Department of Energy none received a dose exceeding site guidelines and, similarly, radiation drifting offsite was not considered to pose a hazard by the DOE.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brookings.edu/projects/archive/nucweapons/nts.aspx |title=Nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site |author= |date= |work=Brookings }}</ref> In March 2009, [[TIME magazine]] identified the Baneberry Test as one of the world's worst nuclear disasters.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1887705_1862274,00.html The Worst Nuclear Disasters]</ref>
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| *December 12, 1971 – [[New London, Connecticut]], USA – Spill of irradiated water
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| **During the transfer of radioactive coolant water from the submarine [[USS Dace (SSN-607)|USS ''Dace'']] to the [[submarine tender]] [[USS Fulton (AS-11)|USS ''Fulton'']] {{convert|500|usgal}} were spilled into the [[Thames River (Connecticut)|Thames River]] (USA).
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| *December 1972 – [[Pawling (village), New York|Pawling, New York]], USA – Contamination
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| **A major fire and two explosions contaminated the plant and grounds of a plutonium fabrication facility resulting in a permanent shutdown.
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| *1975 – location unknown – Contamination
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| **Radioactive resin contaminates the [[United States Navy|American]] [[Sturgeon class submarine|''Sturgeon''-class submarine]] [[USS Guardfish (SSN-612)|USS ''Guardfish'']] after wind unexpectedly blows the powder back towards the ship. The resin is used to remove dissolved radioactive minerals and particles from the primary coolant loops of submarines. This type of accident was fairly common; however, U.S. Navy nuclear vessels no longer discharge resin at sea.
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| *October 1975 – Apra Harbor, [[Guam]] – Spill of irradiated water
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| **While disabled, the submarine tender [[USS Proteus (AS-19)|USS ''Proteus'']] discharged radioactive coolant water. A [[Geiger counter]] at two of the harbor's public beaches showed 100 [[millirem]]s/hour, fifty times the allowable dose. {{Citation needed|date=March 2009}}
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| *August 1976 – [[Benton County, Washington]], [[USA]] – Explosion, contamination of worker
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| **An explosion at the [[Hanford site]] Plutonium Finishing Plant blew out a quarter-inch-thick lead glass window. [[Harold McCluskey]], a worker, was showered with nitric acid and radioactive glass. He inhaled the largest dose of [[Americium-241|<sup>241</sup>Am]] ever recorded, about 500 times the U.S. government occupational standards. The worker was placed in isolation for five months and given an experimental drug to flush the isotope from his body. By 1977, his body's radiation count had fallen by about 80 percent. He died of natural causes in 1987 at age 75.<ref>{{cite news | author = AP wire | title = Hanford nuclear workers enter site of worst contamination accident | url = http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/06/03/build/nation/94-contamination.inc | date = 2005-06-03 | accessdate = 2007-06-17 }}</ref>
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| *1977 – coast of [[Kamchatka Peninsula|Kamchatka]] – Loss and recovery of a nuclear warhead
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| **The [[Soviet Navy|Soviet]] [[Nuclear submarine|submarine]] [[Soviet submarine K-171|''K-171'']] accidentally released a nuclear warhead. The warhead was recovered after a search involving dozens of ships and aircraft.<ref>{{cite news | author = CNN | title = Cold War: Broken Arrows (1970d)| url = http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/experience/the.bomb/broken.arrows/content/1970d.html | publisher = CNN.com | year = 1998 | accessdate = 2007-06-17 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070602203629/http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/experience/the.bomb/broken.arrows/content/1970d.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-06-02}}</ref>
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| *January 24, 1978 – [[Northwest Territories]], [[Canada]] – Spill of nuclear fuel
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| **[[Cosmos 954]], a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[RORSAT|Radar Ocean Reconnaissance Satellite]] with an onboard nuclear reactor, failed to separate from its booster and broke up on reentry over Canada. The fuel was spread over a wide area and some radioactive pieces were recovered. The Soviet Union eventually paid the Canadian Government $3 million CAD for expenses relating to the crash.
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| *May 22, 1978 – near [[Puget Sound]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], [[USA]] – Spill of irradiated water
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| **A valve was mistakenly opened aboard the submarine [[USS Puffer (SSN-652)|USS ''Puffer'']] releasing up to {{convert|500|usgal}} of radioactive water.
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| ==1980s==
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| *September 18, 1980 – At about 6:30 p.m., an airman conducting maintenance on a USAF [[LGM-25C Titan II|Titan-II]] missile at [[Little Rock Air Force Base]]'s Launch Complex 374-7 in Southside (Van Buren County), just north of [[Damascus, Arkansas]], dropped a [[socket wrench|socket]] from a socket wrench, which fell about {{convert|80|ft}} before hitting and piercing the skin on the rocket's first-stage fuel tank, causing it to leak. The area was evacuated. At about 3:00 [[12-hour clock|a.m.]], on September 19, 1980, the [[hypergolic]] fuel exploded. The [[B53 nuclear bomb|W53]] warhead landed about {{convert|100|ft}} from the launch complex's entry gate; its safety features operated correctly and prevented any loss of radioactive material. An Air Force airman was killed and the launch complex was destroyed.<ref>{{cite web | title = Titan Missile Explosion | url = http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2543}}</ref>
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| *August 8, 1982 – While on duty in the [[Barents Sea]], there was a release of liquid metal coolant from the reactor of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] Project 705 [[Alfa class submarine|''Alfa''-class submarine]] [[Soviet submarine K-123|''K-123'']]. The accident was caused by a leak in the steam generator. Approximately two tons of metal alloy leaked into the reactor compartment, irreparably damaging the reactor such that it had to be replaced. It took nine years to repair the submarine.
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| *January 3, 1983 – The Soviet nuclear-powered spy satellite [[Kosmos 1402]] burns up over the South Atlantic.
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| *August 10, 1985 – About {{convert|35|mi}} from [[Vladivostok]] in [[Chazhma Bay]], [[Soviet submarine K-431]], a [[Soviet Navy|Soviet]] [[Echo class submarine|''Echo''-class submarine]] had a reactor explosion, producing fatally high levels of radiation. Ten men were killed, but the deadly cloud of radioactivity did not reach [[Vladivostok]].<ref>{{cite news | author = CNN | title = Cold War: Broken Arrows (1980b)| url = http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/experience/the.bomb/broken.arrows/content/1980b.html | publisher = CNN.com | year = 1998 | accessdate = 2007-06-17 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070328010005/http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/experience/the.bomb/broken.arrows/content/1980b.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-03-28}}</ref>
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| *1986 – The U.S. government declassifies 19,000 pages of documents indicating that between 1946 and 1986, the [[Hanford Site]] near [[Richland, Washington]], released thousands of [[U.S. liquid gallon|US gallons]] of radioactive liquids. Many of the people living in the affected area received low doses of radiation from [[Iodine-131|<sup>131</sup>I]].
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| *October 3, 1986 – {{convert|480|mi}} east of [[Bermuda]], [[Soviet submarine K-219|''K-219'']], a Soviet [[Yankee-I class submarine|''Yankee I''-class submarine]] experienced an explosion in one of its nuclear missile tubes and at least three crew members were killed. Sixteen nuclear missiles and two reactors were on board. [[General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Soviet leader]] [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] privately communicated news of the disaster to [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] before publicly acknowledging the incident on October 4. Two days later, on October 6, the submarine sank in the Atlantic Ocean while under tow in {{convert|18000|ft}} of water.<ref>{{cite news | author = CNN | title = Cold War: Broken Arrows (1980c)| url = http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/experience/the.bomb/broken.arrows/content/1980c.html | publisher = CNN.com | year = 1998 | accessdate = 2007-06-17 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070328010015/http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/experience/the.bomb/broken.arrows/content/1980c.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-03-28}}</ref>
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| *October 1988 – At the nuclear trigger assembly facility at [[Rocky Flats Plant|Rocky Flats]] in [[Colorado]], two employees and a [[United States Department of Energy|D.O.E.]] inspector inhaled radioactive particles, causing closure of the plant. Several safety violations were cited, including uncalibrated monitors, inadequate fire equipment, and groundwater contaminated with radioactivity.
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| ==1990s==
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| *1997 – [[Georgia (country)|Georgian]] soldiers suffer radiation poisoning and burns. They are eventually traced back to training sources abandoned, forgotten, and unlabeled after the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]]. One was a [[Caesium-137|<sup>137</sup>Cs]] pellet in a pocket of a shared jacket which put out about 130,000 times the level of background radiation at 1 meter distance.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Lluma | first=Diego | title = Former Soviet Union: What the Russians left behind | journal = Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |date=May–June 2000 | volume = 56 | issue = 3| pages = 14–17 | doi=10.2968/056003005 }}</ref>
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| ==2000s==
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| | |
| *February 2003: [[Oak Ridge, Tennessee]] [[Y-12]] facility. During the final testing of a new saltless [[uranium]] processing method, there was a small explosion followed by a fire. The explosion occurred in an unvented vessel containing unreacted calcium, water and [[depleted uranium]]. An [[exothermic]] reaction in the vessel generated enough steam to burst the container. This small explosion breached its [[glovebox]], allowing air to enter and ignite some loose uranium powder. Three employees were contaminated. BWXT Y-12 (now B&W Y-12), a partnership of [[BWXT|Babcock & Wilcox]] and [[Bechtel]], was fined $82,500 for the accident.<ref>{{cite news | author = Parson P | title = BWXT Y-12 fined for explosion, fire | url = http://nucnews.net/nucnews/2004nn/0406nn/040612nn.htm#010 | publisher = The Oak Ridger | date = 2004-06-11 | accessdate = 2007-06-17 }}</ref>
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| ==See also==
| |
| *[[International Nuclear Event Scale]]
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| *[[List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft]]
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| *[[List of civilian nuclear accidents]]
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| *[[List of disasters]]
| |
| *[[List of nuclear reactors]] – a comprehensive annotated list of the world's nuclear reactors
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| *[[Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents]]
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| *[[Nuclear weapons]]
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| *[[Radiation]]
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| *[[United States military nuclear incident terminology]]
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| | |
| == Notes and references ==
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| {{Reflist|2}}
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| | |
| == Bibliography ==
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| * {{fr icon}} Jean-Hugues Oppel, ''Réveillez le président !'', Éditions Payot et rivages, 2007 (ISBN 978-2-7436-1630-4). The book is a fiction about the [[Force de Frappe|nuclear weapons of France]]; the book also contains about ten chapters on true historical incidents involving nuclear weapons and strategy (during the second half of the twentieth century).
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| ==External links==
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| *[http://www.progettohumus.it/nucleare.php?name=specialtrinity ProgettoHumus: From Trinity Test to...] List of nuclear explosions in the world
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| *[http://www.progettohumus.it/public/forum/index.php?topic=40.0 ProgettoHumus] List of all nuclear accidents in the history (updated)
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| *[http://alsos.wlu.edu/adv_rst.aspx?keyword=accidents*military&creator=&title=&media=all&genre=all&disc=all&level=all&sortby=relevance&results=10&period=15 Bibliography of military nuclear accidents from the Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues]
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| *[http://www.thememoryhole.org/nukes/mod-nuke-accidents.htm Official List of accidents involving nuclear weapons from the UK Ministry of Defence]
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| *[http://schema-root.org/technology/nuclear/power/accidents/ Schema-root.org: Nuclear Power Accidents ] 2 topics, both with a current news feed
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| *[http://www.nrc.gov US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) website] with search function and electronic public reading room
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| *[http://www.iaea.org International Atomic Energy Agency website] with extensive online library
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| *[http://www.nuclearactive.org/ Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety] Detailed articles on nuclear watchdog activities in the US
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| *[http://www.world-nuclear.org/education/ne/neap1.htm World Nuclear Association: Radiation Doses] Background on ionizing radiation and doses
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| *[http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/phys_agents/ionizing.html Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety] More information on radiation units and doses.
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| *[http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/nuclear/radevents/index.html Radiological Incidents Database] Extensive, well-referenced list of radiological incidents.
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| *[http://www.bellona.no/imaker?id=11084] Bellona's listing of accidents of Soviet / Russian submarines, a fair number of which are nuclear-powered. Currently not many are included in the list above.
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| *[http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/key-issues/nuclear-weapons/issues/accidents/20-mishaps-maybe-caused-nuclear-war.htm 20 Mishaps That Might Have Started Accidental Nuclear War] A handy (if somewhat chilling) list of close calls.
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| *[http://www.cdi.org/Issues/NukeAccidents/accidents.htm US Nuclear Weapons Accidents] list published by the Center for Defense Information ([http://www.cdi.org/ CDI])
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| *[http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/277 Trinity Atomic Bomb by U.S. National Atomic Museum]
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| {{Disasters}}
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| {{Portal bar|Nuclear technology}}
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| {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Military Nuclear Accidents}}
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| [[Category:Non-combat military accidents|Military nuclear accidents]]
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| [[Category:Military nuclear accidents and incidents| ]]
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| [[Category:Nuclear safety| ]]
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| [[Category:Radioactivity|Military nuclear accidents]]
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| [[Category:Lists of nuclear disasters|Military]]
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| [[Category:Nuclear technology-related lists|Military Nuclear Accidents]]
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| {{Link FL|de}}
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| [[cs:Seznam jaderných havárií]]
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| [[de:Liste der Unfälle in kerntechnischen Anlagen]]
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| [[es:Anexo:Accidentes nucleares]]
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| [[fr:Liste d'accidents nucléaires]]
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| [[fi:Luettelo ydinonnettomuuksista]]
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| [[wuu:核放射事故]]
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