List of civilian nuclear accidents From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Not to be confused with List of civilian nuclear

incidents. This article lists notable civilian accidents involving fissile nuclear material or nuclear reactors. Civilian incidents not serious enough to be accidents are listed at List of civilian nuclear incidents. Military accidents are listed at L ist of military nuclear accidents. Civil radiation accidents not involving fissi le material are listed at List of civilian radiation accidents. For a general di scussion of both civilian and military accidents, see Nuclear and radiation acci dents. See also: Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents. Contents [hide] 1 Scope of this article 2 1950s 3 1960s 4 1970s 5 1980s 6 1990s 7 2000s 8 2010s 9 See also 10 References 11 External links [edit]Scope of this article In listing civilian nuclear accidents, the following criteria have been followed : There must be well-attested and substantial health damage, property damage or co ntamination. The damage must be related directly to radioactive material, not merely (for exa mple) at a nuclear power plant. To qualify as "civilian", the nuclear operation/material must be principally for non-military purposes. The event should involve fissile material or a reactor. [edit]1950s December 12, 1952 INES Level 5[citation needed] - Chalk River, Ontario, Canada Reactor core damaged A reactor shutoff rod failure, combined with several operator errors, led to a m ajor power excursion of more than double the reactor's rated output at AECL's NR X reactor. The operators purged the reactor's heavy water moderator, and the rea ction stopped in under 30 seconds. A cover gas system failure led to hydrogen ex plosions, which severely damaged the reactor core. The fission products from app roximately 30 kg of uranium were released through the reactor stack. Irradiated light-water coolant leaked from the damaged coolant circuit into the reactor bui lding; some 4,000 cubic meters were pumped via pipeline to a disposal area to av oid contamination of the Ottawa River. Subsequent monitoring of surrounding wate r sources revealed no contamination. No immediate fatalities or injuries resulte d from the incident; a 1982 followup study of exposed workers showed no long-ter m health effects. Future U.S. President Jimmy Carter, then a Lieutenant in the U S Navy, was among the cleanup crew.[1] May 24, 1958 INES Level needed - Chalk River, Ontario, Canada - Fuel damaged Due to inadequate cooling a damaged uranium fuel rod caught fire and was torn in two as it was being removed from the core at the NRU reactor. The fire was exti nguished, but not before radioactive combustion products contaminated the interi or of the reactor building and, to a lesser degree, an area surrounding the labo ratory site. Over 600 people were employed in the clean-up.[2][3] October 25, 1958 - INES Level needed - Vinca, Yugoslavia - Criticality excursion , irradiation of personnel

During a subcritical counting experiment a power buildup went undetected at the Vinca Nuclear Institute's zero-power natural uranium heavy water moderated resea rch reactor.[4] Saturation of radiation detection chambers gave the researchers false readings and the level of moderator in the reactor tank was raised trigger ing a criticality excursion which a researcher detected from the smell of ozone. [5] Six scientists received radiation doses of 2 4 Sv (200 400 rems) [6] (p. 96). An experimental bone marrow transplant treatment was performed on all of them in F rance and five survived, despite the ultimate rejection of the marrow in all cas es. A single woman among them later had a child without apparent complications. This was one of the first nuclear incidents investigated by then newly-formed IA EA.[7] July 26, 1959 INES Level needed - Santa Susana Field Laboratory, California, Uni ted States - Partial meltdown A partial core meltdown may have taken place when the Sodium Reactor Experiment (SRE) experienced a power excursion that caused severe overheating of the reacto r core, resulting in the melting of one-third of the nuclear fuel and significan t releases of radioactive gases.[8] [edit]1960s July 24, 1964 - INES Level needed - Charlestown, Rhode Island, United States - C riticality Accident An error by a worker at a United Nuclear Corporation fuel facility led to an acc idental criticality. Robert Peabody, believing he was using a diluted uranium so lution, accidentally put concentrated solution into an agitation tank containing sodium carbonate. Peabody was exposed to 10,000rad (100Gy) of radiation and die d two days later. Ninety minutes after the criticality, a plant manager and anot her administrator returned to the building and were exposed to 100rad (1Gy), but suffered no ill effects.[9][10] October 5, 1966 INES Level needed - Monroe, Michigan, United States - Partial me ltdown A sodium cooling system malfunction caused a partial meltdown at the Enrico Ferm i demonstration nuclear breeder reactor (Enrico Fermi-1 fast breeder reactor). T he accident was attributed to a zirconium fragment that obstructed a flow-guide in the sodium cooling system. Two of the 105 fuel assemblies melted during the i ncident, but no contamination was recorded outside the containment vessel.[11] Winter 1966-1967 (date unknown) INES Level needed location unknown loss of coola nt accident The Soviet icebreaker Lenin, the USSR s first nuclear-powered surface ship, suffer ed a major accident (possibly a meltdown exactly what happened remains a matter of controversy in the West) in one of its three reactors. To find the leak the c rew broke through the concrete and steel radiation shield with sledgehammers, ca using irreparable damage. It was rumored that around 30 of the crew were killed. The ship was abandoned for a year to allow radiation levels to drop before the three reactors were removed, to be dumped into the Tsivolko Fjord on the Kara Se a, along with 60% of the fuel elements packed in a separate container. The react ors were replaced with two new ones, and the ship re-entered service in 1970, se rving until 1989. May 1967 INES Level needed - Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, United Kingdom - P artial meltdown Graphite debris partially blocked a fuel channel causing a fuel element to melt and catch fire at the Chapelcross nuclear power station. Contamination was confi ned to the reactor core. The core was repaired and restarted in 1969, operating until the plant's shutdown in 2004.[12][13] January 21, 1969 INES Level: None - Lucens, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland - Explos ion A total loss of coolant led to a power excursion and explosion of an experimenta l nuclear reactor in a large cave at Lucens. The underground location of this re actor acted like a containment building and prevented any outside contamination. The cavern was heavily contaminated and was sealed. No injuries or fatalities r esulted.[14][15]

De-fuelling and partial dismantling occurred from 1969 to 1973. In 1988, the low est caverns were filled with concrete, and a regulatory permit was issued in Dec ember 1990. Currently, the archives of the Canton of Vaud are located in the cav erns.[16] [edit]1970s December 7, 1975 INES Level 3 - Greifswald, Germany (then East Germany) - Partly damaged Operators disabled three of six cooling pumps' electrical supply circuits to tes t emergency shutoffs. Instead of the expected automatic shutdown, a fourth pump failed causing excessive heating which damaged ten fuel rods. The accident was a ttributed to sticky relay contacts and generally poor construction in the Soviet -built reactor.[17] February 22, 1977 INES Level 4 - Jaslovsk Bohunice, Czechoslovakia - Fuel damaged Operators neglected to remove moisture-absorbing materials from a fuel rod assem bly before loading it into the KS 150 reactor at power plant A-1. The accident r esulted in damaged fuel integrity, extensive corrosion damage of fuel cladding a nd release of radioactivity into the plant area. The affected reactor was decomm issioned following this accident.[18] March 28, 1979 INES Level 5[citation needed] - Middletown, Dauphin County, Penns ylvania, United States - Partial meltdown Equipment failures and worker mistakes contributed to a loss of coolant and a pa rtial core meltdown at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station 15 km (9 miles) southeast of Harrisburg. While the reactor was extensively damaged, on-s ite radiation exposure was under 100 millirems (less than annual exposure due to natural sources). Area residents received a smaller exposure of 1 millirem (10 S v), or about 1/3 the dose from eating a banana per day for one year. There were no fatalities. Follow-up radiological studies predict between zero and one longterm cancer fatality.[19][20][21] See also: Three Mile Island accident. [edit]1980s March 13, 1980 - INES Level 4 - Orlans, France - Nuclear materials leak A brief power excursion in Reactor A2 led to a rupture of fuel bundles and a min or release (8 x 1010 Bq) of nuclear materials at the Saint-Laurent Nuclear Power Plant. The reactor was repaired and continued operation until its decommissioni ng in 1992.[22] March, 1981 INES Level 2 - Tsuruga, Japan - Radioactive materials released into Sea of Japan + Overexposure of workers More than 100 workers were exposed to doses of up to 155 millirem per day radiat ion during repairs of the Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant, violating the Japan Atomi c Power Company's limit of 100 millirems (1 mSv) per day.[23] January 25, 1982 - INES Level unknown - Ontario, New York - Radioactive material s released A steam pipe burst at the Ginna Nuclear Generating Station, resulting in a loss of coolant and gasses were intentionally vented to the atmosphere to reduce risk s of explosion. September 23, 1983 INES Level 4 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Accidental criticali ty An operator error during a fuel plate reconfiguration in an experimental test re actor led to an excursion of 31017 fissions at the RA-2 facility. The operator ab sorbed 2000 rad (20 Gy) of gamma and 1700 rad (17 Gy) of neutron radiation which killed him two days later. Another 17 people outside of the reactor room absorb ed doses ranging from 35 rad (0.35 Gy) to less than 1 rad (0.01 Gy).[24] pg103[2 5] April 26, 1986 INES Level 7 - Prypiat, Ukraine (then USSR) - Power excursion, ex plosion, complete meltdown An inadequate reactor safety system[26] led to an uncontrolled power excursion, causing a severe steam explosion, meltdown and release of radioactive material a t the Chernobyl nuclear power plant located approximately 100 kilometers north-n

orthwest of Kiev. Approximately fifty fatalities (mostly cleanup personnel) resu lted from the accident and the immediate aftermath. An additional nine fatal cas es of thyroid cancer in children in the Chernobyl area have been attributed to t he accident. The explosion and combustion of the graphite reactor core spread ra dioactive material over much of Europe. 100,000 people were evacuated from the a reas immediately surrounding Chernobyl in addition to 300,000 from the areas of heavy fallout in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. An "Exclusion Zone" was created su rrounding the site encompassing approximately 1,000 mi (3,000 km) and deemed off-l imits for human habitation for an indefinite period. Several studies by governme nts, UN agencies and environmental groups have estimated the consequences and ev entual number of casualties. Their findings are subject to controversy. See also: Chernobyl disaster. May 4, 1986 INES Level 3-5 (need ref) - Hamm-Uentrop, Germany (then West Germany ) - Fuel damaged A spherical fuel pebble became lodged in the pipe used to deliver fuel elements to the reactor at an experimental 300-megawatt THTR-300 HTGR. Attempts by an ope rator to dislodge the fuel pebble damaged its cladding, releasing radiation dete ctable up to two kilometers from the reactor.[27] October 19, 1989 INES Level 3 - Vandellos Nuclear Power Plant, Spain -fire in on e of its two turbogenerators After the fire in the turbogenerators the Spanish comission determined a large l ist of issues in the plant that was closed by the owners due to economical unvia bility. [edit]1990s April 6, 1993 INES Level 4 - Tomsk, Russia - Explosion A pressure buildup led to an explosive mechanical failure in a 34 cubic meter st ainless steel reaction vessel buried in a concrete bunker under building 201 of the radiochemical works at the Tomsk-7 Siberian Chemical Enterprise plutonium re processing facility. The vessel contained a mixture of concentrated nitric acid, uranium (8757 kg), plutonium (449 g) along with a mixture of radioactive and or ganic waste from a prior extraction cycle. The explosion dislodged the concrete lid of the bunker and blew a large hole in the roof of the building, releasing a pproximately 6 GBq of Pu 239 and 30 TBq of various other radionuclides into the environment. The contamination plume extended 28 km NE of building 201, 20 km be yond the facility property. The small village of Georgievka (pop. 200) was at th e end of the fallout plume, but no fatalities, illnesses or injuries were report ed. The accident exposed 160 on-site workers and almost two thousand cleanup wor kers to total doses of up to 50 mSv (the threshold limit for radiation workers i s 100 mSv per 5 years).[28][29][30] June, 1999 INES Level 2[31] - Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan - Control rod malfuncti on Operators attempting to insert one control rod during an inspection neglected pr ocedure and instead withdrew three causing a 15 minute uncontrolled sustained re action at the number 1 reactor of Shika Nuclear Power Plant. The Hokuriku Electr ic Power Company who owned the reactor did not report this incident and falsifie d records, covering it up until March, 2007.[32] September 30, 1999 INES Level 4 - Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan - Accidental critica lity Inadequately trained part-time workers prepared a uranyl nitrate solution contai ning about 16.6 kg of uranium, which exceeded the critical mass, into a precipit ation tank at a uranium reprocessing facility in Tokai-mura northeast of Tokyo, Japan. The tank was not designed to dissolve this type of solution and was not c onfigured to prevent eventual criticality. Three workers were exposed to (neutro n) radiation doses in excess of allowable limits. Two of these workers died. 116 other workers received lesser doses of 1 mSv or greater though not in excess of the allowable limit.[33][34][35][36] See also: Tokaimura nuclear accident. [edit]2000s

April 10, 2003 INES Level 3 - Paks, Hungary - Fuel damaged Partially spent fuel rods undergoing cleaning in a tank of heavy water ruptured and spilled fuel pellets at Paks Nuclear Power Plant. It is suspected that inade quate cooling of the rods during the cleaning process combined with a sudden inf lux of cold water thermally shocked fuel rods causing them to split. Boric acid was added to the tank to prevent the loose fuel pellets from achieving criticali ty. Ammonia and hydrazine were also added to absorb iodine-131.[37] April 19, 2005 INES Level 3 - Sellafield, England, United Kingdom - Nuclear mate rial leak 20 metric tons of uranium and 160 kilograms of plutonium dissolved in 83,000 lit res of nitric acid leaked over several months from a cracked pipe into a stainle ss steel sump chamber at the Thorp nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. The partiall y processed spent fuel was drained into holding tanks outside the plant.[38][39] November 2005 INES Level needed - Braidwood, Illinois, United States - Nuclear m aterial leak Tritium contamination of groundwater was discovered at Exelon's Braidwood statio n. Groundwater off site remains within safe drinking standards though the NRC is requiring the plant to correct any problems related to the release.[40] March 6, 2006 INES Level 2[41] - Erwin, Tennessee, United States - Nuclear mater ial leak Thirty-five litres of a highly enriched uranium solution leaked during transfer into a lab at Nuclear Fuel Services Erwin Plant. The incident caused a seven-mon th shutdown. A required public hearing on the licensing of the plant was not hel d due to the absence of public notification.[42][43][44][45] [edit]2010s See also: Timeline of the Fukushima nuclear accidents. March 11 20, 2011 - INES Level 7[46](previously rating is 5[47]) as of April 12 (A final rating is expected after the situation has been completely resolved). Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, Japan - partial meltdowns in multiple reactors [48] Main article: Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster After the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of March 11, the emergency power su pply of the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant failed. This was followed by d eliberate releases of radioactive gas from reactors 1 and 2 to relieve pressure. On March 12, triggered by falling water levels, a hydrogen explosion occurred a t reactor 1, resulting in the collapse of the concrete outer structure.[49][50][ 51][52][53] Although the reactor containment itself was confirmed to be intact,[ 54][55][56] the hourly radiation from the plant reached 1,015 microsievert (0.10 15 rem) - an amount equivalent to that allowable for ordinary people in one year ."[57][58] Residents of the Fukushima area were advised to stay inside, close do ors and windows, turn off air conditioning, and to cover their mouths with masks , towels or handkerchiefs as well as not to drink tap water.[59] By the evening of March 12, the exclusion zone had been extended to 20 kilometres (12 mi) aroun d the plant[60] and 70,000 to 80,000 people had been evacuated from homes in nor thern Japan.[61] A second, nearly identical hydrogen explosion occurred in the r eactor building for Unit 3 on March 14, with similar effects.[62] A third explos ion in the pressure suppression room of Unit 2[63] initially was said not to have breached the reactor s inner steel containment vessel,[64] but later reports indic ated that the explosion damaged the steel containment structure of Unit 2 and mu ch larger releases of radiation were expected than previously.[63] Disposed rods of reactor Unit 4 were stored outside the reactor in a separate po ol which ran dry, yielding fire and risk of serious contamination.[65] Staff was brought down from 800 Fukushima, who have been named the "Fukushima 50 " by the press.[65] Events are still developing. March 11 13, 2011 - INES Level 3,[66] Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant, Japan - Ov erheating, possible radioactivity emergency. After the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of March 11, the cooling systems fo r three reactors (numbers 1, 2 and 4) of the Fukushima-Daini nuclear power plant were compromised due to damage from the tsunami.[67] Nuclear Engineering Intern

ational reported that all four units were successfully automatically shut down, but emergency diesel generators at the site were Damaged by the 9.0 magnitude ea rthquake[68] People were evacuated around 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the plant. An evacuation order was issued, because of possible radioactive contamination.[ 69][70] Events are still developing. [edit]See also Criticality accident International Nuclear Events Scale List of Chernobyl-related articles List of civilian nuclear incidents List of civilian radiation accidents List of industrial disasters List of military nuclear accidents List of crimes involving radioactive substances List of nuclear reactors a comprehensive annotated list of the world's nuclear r eactors Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents Nuclear and radiation accidents Nuclear reactor technology Nuclear power Nuclear power debate Radiation [edit]References ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ f ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "The Canadian Nuclear FAQ - Section D: Safety and Liability". [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] http://www.bazley.net/institute/archives/UNCdeath.html McLaughlin et al. pages 33-34 [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] "Interface between Operator, Regulatory Body and Public" at IAEA.org [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] http://lib.ru/MEMUARY/CHERNOBYL/dyatlow.txt (memoires of vice chief engineer o operation Anatoly Dyatlov, in Russian) [22] [23] [24] Timeline: Nuclear plant accidents http://www.climatesceptics.org/event/841 Japanese utility to shut reactor after admitting accident cover-up Tokaimura Criticality Accident Tokaimura Criticality Accident Nuclear Issues Briefing Paper # 52

^ Chronology and Press Reports of the Tokaimura Criticality ^ Timeline: Nuclear plant accidents ^ Incremented radioactivity of the heat carrier during refueling outage at a tim e of fuel cleaning Nuclear power in Europe ^ Huge radioactive leak closes Thorp nuclear plant ^ British Nuclear Group releases report on Sellafield leak ^ Exelon Braidwood Nuclear Facility Update on Tritium Releases and Groundwater I mpacts ^ http://www.climatesceptics.org/event/805 ^ Federal Register: May 4, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 86) ^ Secrecy Shrouds Accident at Nuclear Plant ^ More revelations about Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. ^ Erwin nuke problems known ^ >YURI KAGEYAMA, RYAN NAKASHIMA (April 12, 2011). "Japan ups nuke crisis severi ty to match Chernobyl". Associated Press. Retrieved April 12, 2011. ^ name="Fukushima INES rating">"Nuclear accident rated at level 4". NHK World. R etrieved March 12, 2011. ^ "Tepco confirms extra partial fuel rod meltdown at plant". BBC News. May 24, 2 011. ^ "??????????? nuclear power station explosion Fukushima Japan". YouTube. Retrie ved March 12, 2011. ^ Fox News Channel Breaking News Alert (live TV coverage), 3:00 am EST, March 12 ^ Live blog, BBC News, March 12, 2011 ^ Fredrik Dahl, Louise Ireland (March 12, 2011). "Hydrogen may have caused Japan atom blast-industry". Reuters. Retrieved March 12, 2011. ^ "Explosion heard at quake-hit reactor". NHK World. March 12, 2011. ^ World Nuclear News (March 12, 2011). "Battle to stabilise earthquake reactors" . World Nuclear News. Retrieved March 12, 2011. ^ "Japan to fill leaking nuke reactor with sea water". Reuters. March 12, 2011. ^ Explosion at Fukushima I reactor 1; 4 injured, 3 irradiated (Japanese) ^ "Explosion at quake-hit nuclear plant". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corp oration). March 12, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011. ^ See also: "Radiation dose limits". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved March 12, 2011. ^ Glendinning, Lee (March 12, 2011). "Japan tsunami and earthquake - live covera ge World news guardian.co.uk". London: Guardian. Retrieved March 12, 2011. ^ "Japan earthquake Page 18 Liveblog live blogging Reuters.com". Live.reut ers.com. February 9, 2009. Retrieved March 12, 2011. ^ NHK News 7 (TV coverage), March 13, 2011, 10:46 UTC ^ "Blast, cooling system breakdown spread fears of nuclear radiation". CNN. Marc h 14, 2011. ^ a b Hiroko Tabuchi, Keith Bradsher, Matt Wald (March 14, 2011). "Japan Faces P rospect of Nuclear Catastrophe as Workers Leave Plant". The New York Times. ^ "Plant operator says reactor seal apparently not holed". channelnewsasia.com. March 15, 2011. ^ a b Hiroko Tabuchi, Keith Bradsher,David E. Sanger Matthew L. Wald (March 15, 2011). "Fire and Damage at Japanese Plant Raise Risk of Nuclear Disaster". The N ew York Times. ^ "Japanese nuclear crisis on par with 3 Mile Island". CNN. 18 March 2011. Retri eved 18 March 2011. ^ "Information on the Japanese Earthquake and Reactors in That Region". Nuclear Energy Institute. Retrieved March 13, 2011. ^ "Japan initiates emergency protocol after earthquake". Nuclear Engineering Int ernational. March 11, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2011. ^ Sumit Paul-Choudhury, Rowan Hooper (March 13, 2011). "Japanese nuclear crisis spreads to two more plants". NewScientist. ^ Pete Norman (March 13, 2011). "Japan: 200,000 Evacuated From Near Reactors". S ky News. [edit]External links Nuclear power plant accidents: listed and ranked since 1952

Timeline: Nuclear plant accidents ProgettoHumus - Mondo in Cammino: List updated of nuclear accidents in the histo ry Schema-root.org: Nuclear Power Accidents 2 topics, both with a current news feed US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) website with search function and electron ic public reading room International Atomic Energy Agency website with extensive online library Canada's Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety Detailed articles on nuclear watchdog acti vities in the US World Nuclear Association: Radiation Doses Background on ionizing radiation and doses Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety More information on radiation u nits and doses. Radiological Incidents Database Extensive, well-referenced list of radiological incidents. Critical Hour: Three Mile Island, The Nuclear Legacy, And National Security Onli ne book by Albert J. Fritsch, Arthur H. Purcell, and Mary Byrd Davis Annotated bibliography on civilian nuclear accidents from the Alsos Digital Libr ary for Nuclear Issues. View page ratings Rate this page What's this? Trustworthy Objective Complete Well-written I am highly knowledgeable about this topic (optional) Submit ratings Categories: Nuclear accidents Nuclear safety Disaster lists ar power accidents Log in / create accountArticleDiscussionReadEditView history Civilian nucle

Main page Contents Featured content Current events Random article Donate to Wikipedia Interaction Help About Wikipedia Community portal Recent changes Contact Wikipedia Toolbox Print/export Languages ??????? Deutsch Espaol Svenska This page was last modified on 27 July 2011 at 14:02. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; add itional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-prof it organization. Contact us Privacy policyAbout WikipediaDisclaimersMobile View