The Health Physics Aspects of the SL-1 Accident

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1963 · Health Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-196302000-00006· OSTI ID:4711521

Horan, John R.; Gammill, William P.

With so few accidents in the atomic energy industry, new concepts and procedures of interest to the Health Physics profession will result from a critical analysis of each major radiation accident. A brief description of the reactor, its purpose, and operating history prior to the accident is followed by a comprehensive treatment of the health physics activities. Emergency personnel working under adverse conditions in radiation fields, ranging up to 800 r/hr, received whole body exposure doses up to 27 r. Many unique problems were associated with the recovery and decontamination of the bodies. Environmental monitoring revealed that the airborne radioactive material was essentially all iodine-131 and was well below the Radioactivity Concentration Guide value for the offsite population. Analysis of soil and air samples indicated that the reactor building was quite effective in containing the fission products during and following the excursion. Included are data on direct radiation levels experiences in the vicinity of SL-1 and the rate of decay of the primary source. The major lessons learned from the accident are summarized.

• Research Organization: Idaho Operations Office, AEC, Idaho Falls, Idaho
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• NSA Number: NSA-17-018417
• OSTI ID: 4711521
• Journal Information: Health Physics, Journal Name: Health Physics Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 9; ISSN 0017-9078
• Publisher: Health Physics Society
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ABSORPTION
ACCIDENTS
AEROSOLS
AIR
BODY
BUILDINGS
CONTAMINATION
DECAY
DECONTAMINATION
EFFICIENCY
ENVIRONMENT
EXCURSIONS
FISSION PRODUCTS
HEALTH AND SAFETY
IODINE 131
MONITORING
MPC
PERSONNEL
RADIATION DOSES
RADIOACTIVITY
REACTOR SAFETY
RECOVERY
SAFETY
SAMPLING
SL-1
SOILS
STANDARDS