Wood River Junction, Rhode Island: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
Changed units to provide consistency for the two exposure doses listed and allow easy comparison of the relative magnitude of exposure. |
||
| Line 117: | Line 117: | ||
This criticality exposed the 37-year-old Peabody to a fatal radiation dose of 82-190 Sieverts. <ref> https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0601/ML060130267.pdf </ref>He died 49 hours later. |
This criticality exposed the 37-year-old Peabody to a fatal radiation dose of 82-190 Sieverts. <ref> https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0601/ML060130267.pdf </ref>He died 49 hours later. |
||
Ninety minutes later, a second excursion happened when a plant manager returned to the building and turned off the agitator, exposing himself and another administrator to doses of up to 100 rad (1 |
Ninety minutes later, a second excursion happened when a plant manager returned to the building and turned off the agitator, exposing himself and another administrator to doses of up to 100 rad (1 Sievert) without apparent ill effect. |
||
Members of the local Hope Valley Ambulance Squad (HVAS) responded to render aid, initially transporting the patient to [[Westerly Hospital]]; the hospital was not equipped for such a patient, the ambulance was turned away and the ambulance transported the patient to [[Rhode Island Hospital]] in [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]]. |
Members of the local Hope Valley Ambulance Squad (HVAS) responded to render aid, initially transporting the patient to [[Westerly Hospital]]; the hospital was not equipped for such a patient, the ambulance was turned away and the ambulance transported the patient to [[Rhode Island Hospital]] in [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]]. |
||
Revision as of 00:22, 9 September 2023
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2013) |
Wood River Junction | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Wood River Junction  Wood River Junction | |
| Coordinates: 41°26′10″N 71°41′40″W / 41.43611°N 71.69444°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Rhode Island |
| County | Washington |
| Town | Richmond |
Wood River Junction is a small village in the town of Richmond, Rhode Island, Washington County, Rhode Island, in the United States. It is home to the Chariho school district's main campus and is otherwise largely turf farms.
Geography
Wood River Junction is commonly considered by locals to be one of the coldest locations in the state of Rhode Island, due to its low-lying and flat geography. It is the home of Meadowbrook Pond, also known as Wood River Pond, a popular fishing area. It is surrounded by two rivers: the Wood River and Pawcatuck River.
History
Overview
The village was the site of Wood River Junction station, originally known as Richmond Switch. The Wood River Branch Railroad was chartered in 1872 and completed in 1874. The name was changed in April 1874.[1] The six-mile branch line was built to provide service from the Hope Valley to the main line of the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad and was only six miles long. The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad took over operation of the Branch in 1892 and eventually abandoned it on August 8, 1947. The main line continues in operation today as Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.
Criticality accident
On 24 July 1964, a fatal criticality accident occurred[2] at the United Nuclear Corporation Wood River Junction nuclear facility.[3] This facility was designed to recover highly enriched uranium from scrap material left over from fuel element production. Technician Robert Peabody, intending to add a bottle of trichloroethane to remove organics from a tank containing radioactive uranium-235 in a sodium carbonate solution, mistakenly added a bottle of uranium solution instead. This produced a criticality excursion accompanied by a flash of light. About 10 liters (2.2 imp gal; 2.6 U.S. gal) out of 40 to 50 liters (8.8 to 11.0 imp gal; 11 to 13 U.S. gal) of the tank's contents were splashed out of the tank.[4]
This criticality exposed the 37-year-old Peabody to a fatal radiation dose of 82-190 Sieverts. [5]He died 49 hours later.
Ninety minutes later, a second excursion happened when a plant manager returned to the building and turned off the agitator, exposing himself and another administrator to doses of up to 100 rad (1 Sievert) without apparent ill effect.
Members of the local Hope Valley Ambulance Squad (HVAS) responded to render aid, initially transporting the patient to Westerly Hospital; the hospital was not equipped for such a patient, the ambulance was turned away and the ambulance transported the patient to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.
Although commonly referred to as taking place in Wood River Junction, the incident actually occurred just across the river in Charlestown.
See also
References
- ^ "New England News". Boston Globe. April 21, 1874. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Article on Yankee
- ^ "Nuclear Incident at United Nuclear Corporation Wood River Junction" (PDF).
- ^ Johnston, Wm. Robert. "Wood River criticality accident, 1964". Archived from the original on April 18, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0601/ML060130267.pdf
External links
- UNC Recovery Systems - Nuclear Incident at United Nuclear Corporation (8/24/1964)
- UNC Recovery Systems - Compliance Investigation Report Volume 1 - Report Details (9/16/1964)
- UNC Recovery Systems - Compliance Investigation Report Volume 3 - Supplemental Report with Exhibits (9/16/1964)
Municipalities and communities of Washington County, Rhode Island, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Towns |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Other villages | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
