An Explosion Occurs in the Chalk River Nuclear Reactor
At a glance:
- Series: Great Events from History II: Ecology and the Environment Series
- Categories: Science, Environmental Issues, Disasters
- Subcategories: Nuclear Weapons, Power, Radiation, Ecology, Environment, Conservation, Bombs, Bombings, Explosions
- Curriculum: Canadian History
- Geographical Location: Canada
- Date: December 12, 1952
Article abstract: Human error and mechanical failure caused an explosion in and a partial meltdown of the Chalk River reactor core.
Summary of Event
On December 12, 1952, a series of events occurred at the experimental nuclear reactor at Chalk River, Ontario, about one hundred miles northwest of Ottawa, that presaged the pattern of nearly every nuclear reactor disaster that followed. The reactor was not part of an electrical-power station. Rather, it had been designed as a plutonium generator, but was later used as a research tool to test nuclear fuels...
[The entire page is 2097 words long]
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