Hanford Nuclear Reservation Becomes a Health Concern
At a glance:
- Series: Great Events from History II: Ecology and the Environment Series
- Categories: Science, Medicine, Health, Environmental Issues
- Subcategories: Epidemics, Diseases, Nuclear Weapons, Power, Radiation, Ecology, Environment, Conservation
- Curriculum: American History 1951-present
- Geographical Location: Washington
- Date: The early 1960’s
Article abstract: The first major study on the effects of radiation exposure on workers at Hanford Nuclear Reservation revealed high rates of cancer.
Summary of Event
Hanford Nuclear Reservation was created in 1943 on 5,700 square miles in southeastern Washington State to produce plutonium for the Manhattan Project, which was manufacturing the first U.S. atomic bomb. Although Hanford was promoted by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and its predecessors as a model of safety, area residents began to suspect otherwise by the 1950’s. In 1974 and 1977,...
[The entire page is 2030 words long]
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