Nuclear Disasters & Incidents
Comprehensive documentation of major nuclear accidents throughout history, their causes, impacts, and lessons learned.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster
Summary
Following a major earthquake and tsunami, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant experienced equipment failures, nuclear meltdowns, and releases of radioactive materials.
Tokaimura Nuclear Accident
Summary
A criticality accident occurred at a uranium processing facility when workers manually mixed uranium in a precipitation tank, causing an uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction.
Goiânia Radioactive Contamination
Summary
A radioactive contamination accident occurred when a cesium-137 source from an abandoned radiotherapy clinic was stolen and broken open, spreading radioactive material.
Chernobyl Disaster
Summary
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. A safety test went catastrophically wrong, causing a reactor core meltdown and explosion that released massive amounts of radioactive material into the atmosphere.
Saint-Laurent Nuclear Accident
Summary
A partial meltdown occurred in the Saint-Laurent Nuclear Power Plant when the cooling system failed, causing fuel to melt.
Church Rock Uranium Mill Spill
Summary
A uranium mill tailings dam failed, releasing radioactive water and solid waste into the Puerco River. It was the largest release of radioactive material in U.S. history.
Three Mile Island Accident
Summary
A partial meltdown of reactor unit 2 at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station. It was the most serious accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history.
SL-1 Reactor Accident
Summary
A steam explosion killed three military personnel during maintenance of the experimental SL-1 reactor. It was the first fatal nuclear reactor accident in the United States.
Windscale Fire
Summary
A fire in the Windscale nuclear reactor core released radioactive contamination into the surrounding area. It was the worst nuclear accident in Great Britain's history.
Kyshtym Disaster
Summary
A massive explosion at the Mayak nuclear facility released radioactive material over a large area. It was kept secret for decades and is the third worst nuclear accident in history.
Chalk River Nuclear Accident
Summary
A partial meltdown of the NRX reactor at Chalk River Laboratories. It was one of the first major nuclear reactor accidents and required a massive cleanup effort.