Nuclear Reactor Incident Initial Emergency Response 1961

This clip shows the initial emergency response to this nuclear reactor accident. Before Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, there was the 1961 SL-1 nuclear accident, the only fatal reactor accident in the United States. This clip is taken from the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission's (AEC) film, SL-1 The Accident: Phases I and II. It describes, using real and recreated film footage, the events surrounding this 1961 nuclear accident, the initial emergency response and the early response to protect the public and the environment. Three workers were killed in this incident, the first worker fatalities associated with nuclear power. For more information on the Sl-1 and this tragic incident, link to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SL-1 . The entire 40 minute film is available for viewing and downloading at the Internet Archives.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Atomic
• nuclear
• accident
• Idaho
• first
• responder
• Hazwoper
• OSHA
• EPA
• AEC
• DOE
• radiation
• safety
• industrial
• hygiene

[fordguy91790]

Gotta love the 1950's psa-style narration and background music.

[pibbification]

{+16 Rads} You are now suffering from advanced radiation poisoning. lolololol

[TheEgg185]

@cincinnaticousin well the workers there are risking killing us all with their science, so they BETTER be forced to stay and fix the problem if they should make a mistake and not abandon ship and say you're on your own people.

[econoroller]

It's not 100% true that this is the ONLY USA reactor casualties...

The SSFL had four catastrophic meltdowns, one with an 85% loss of the fuel rods....the workers there were unprotected....almost ALL of them who worked closely on the SRE (Sodium reactor Experiment) later eventually died from radiation/chemical exposure-related issues.

*PS arms and legs and tissue from the SL-1 victims were studied, then buried in lead-lined containers. Far too radioactive for regular coffins...

[Specterx97]

@pibbification not yet

[cincinnaticousin]

My father worked at the AEC when this happened. We lived in Idaho Falls. All AEC workers were transported to the workplace by bus; no one was allowed to drive their private vehicles to work. Years later as an adult, it became clear to me that traveling by 'company bus' was the perfect way for the Feds to control the employees and keep them there should there be an 'accident.' How convenient.

[RCvolunteer1978]

oh my Father was there as an Air Force Para-Medic that was trained in Radiation and Chem. burns. He is has signs of Radiation sickness after 50 yrs

[izlude2]

which accident is the one where they entered the containment area and didn't know there was radiation? they actually had to abandon the bodies in a desert and keep them wrapped up in bags.

[WolYou]

the first incident in the us was in idaho falls 1955.

[werdnativ]

Sounds eerily like the events at Chernobyl... skeleton crew night shift accident while doing maintenance/tests.

[mastainventa]

just like dumb Americans. whats this the first one they couldn't keep covered?