This pilot project eventually developed into the windscale nuclear plant. Inprogram graphics package for the bbc documentary about the 1957 windscale fire. Churchill believed that britain and america had formed a lasting nuclear partnership when british scientists helped. The reactor had been loaded beyond its original design limit. Wind direction is critical in devising response to nuclear. The accident at windscale was also contemporary to the kyshtym disaster, a far more serious accident, which occurred on 29 september 1957 at the mayak plant in the soviet union, when the failure of the cooling system for a tank storing tens of thousands of tons of dissolved nuclear waste resulted in a non nuclear explosion. An event that has led to significant consequences to people, the environment or the facility. Windscale britains biggest nu clear disaster however, the windscale wasnt built to fulfill the dreams of britain s young atomic heroes. Mar 10, 1978 ed opposing windscale proposal says carter adm fears antagonizing brit govt by withholding permission for reprocessing of nuclear fuel that originated in us, but should still send stronger signal. The uks biggest nuclear disaster on this day in 1957, britain was host to a nuclear reactor accident of potentially disastrous level.
Read the latest border stories, britains worst nuclear accident. They were labelled a waste of time and money, but in 1957 the bulging tips of windscale piles saved much of northern england from becoming a. It looks like we dont have any akas for this title yet. The british basically built windscale to catch up and join the club of nuclear nations. Arguably a nuclear emergency triggered by an act of war, sabotage or a natural disaster can be the most complex crisis to handle. Eventually, these hotspots caused a fuel cartridge to catch fire. In october of 1957, the uk faced its worst nuclear power accident in history. The year after the united states first successful nuclear bomb test in july of 1945, the british government decided that they too must develop a nuclear program in order to maintain their position as a world power. Media no videos, backdrops or posters have been added to windscale.
Windscale, britains biggest nuclear disaster posted on february 7, 2014 february 7, 2014 by dharma documentaries a remarkable film tracing the people and events that led up to the first real nuclear accident in history. On the night of 10 october 1957 a fire broke out in pile number one at windscale. A fire ripped through the radioactive materials in the core of windscale, britains first nuclear reactor. Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need adobe reader. Windscale britains biggest nuclear disaster by milica. Jun 01, 2011 in the 80s, it was discovered that harold macmillan, the prime minister of the uk at the time, suppressed a report on windscale, as he claimed the plant s unsafe conditions would be used against him by opponents of nuclear energy. In an effort to join the efforts, the uk, us, and canada entered the quebec agreement. Windscale fire, accident in 1957 at the windscale nuclear reactor. On the 10th and 11 october 1957 a fire in the no 1 pile at the windscale establishment in cumbria led to an uncontrolled release of activity to the atmosphere. It says something for how britains nuclear establishment worked from the start that when windscale no1 pile caught fire in october 1957, it was hushed up so well that even with 11 tons of. Oct 10, 2016 wind direction is critical in devising response to nuclear disaster. Wind direction is critical in devising response to nuclear disaster.
The reactor had been loaded beyond its original design limit in order to provide materials for britain s nuclear weapons programme. Mar 10, 2012 it says something for how britain s nuclear establishment worked from the start that when windscale no1 pile caught fire in october 1957, it was hushed up so well that even with 11 tons of uranium. Windscale britains biggest nuclear disaster by milica dodic. On october 10, 1957, a fire was discovered in reactor one. The windscale fire of 1957 marked great britains largest nuclear reactor disaster, ranking level 5 classification on the international nuclear event scale. Britains worst nuclear accident, the windscale fire in cumbria, released twice as much radioactive debris as was previously thought. Windscale britains biggest nuclear disaster youtube. Britains biggest nuclear disaster film revealing how political ambition fuelled the windscale fire of 1957 and then dictated that the heroes of windscale be made the scapegoats. The windscale fire of 1957 marked great britain s largest nuclear reactor disaster, ranking level 5 classification on the international nuclear event scale. Just click the edit page button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the akas submission guide. Britains biggest nuclear disaster bbc on vimeo join. One building still houses the aluminium cladding for the uranium fuel rods of piles 1 and 2, and is modelled on a grain silo, with waste tipped in at the top and argon gas added to prevent fires. A nuclear disaster by paul dwyer producer, windscale.
The reactor had been loaded beyond its original design limit in order to provide materials for britain s nuclear. Windscale britains biggest nuclear disaster counterspill. Britain s worst ever nuclear accident a nuclear reactor in the north of england caught fire 60 years ago in october 1957. Windscale nuclear incident summary in 1957, the graphite moderator of one of the aircooled plutonium production reactors at windscale now sellafield, had a fire which resulted in the first significant release of radioactive material from a reactor. The reactor had been loaded beyond its original design limit in order to provide materials for britains nuclear.
An assessment of the radiological impact of the windscale reactor fire, october 1957. It ranked a severity of 5 on the international nuclear event scale chernobyl ranked at 7. Windscale fire simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This created hotspots in the core that were not detected by the monitoring equipment. Britains biggest nuclear disaster was broadcast on monday, 8 october, 2007, at 2100 bst on bbc two. Windscalesellafield united kingdom 17 october 1957 megan kedzlie 2. Some of the most dangerous contamination was kept secret, and its effects only came to light years later. The 1957 windscale fire environmentalists for nuclear. Britains worst ever nuclear accident a nuclear reactor in the north of england caught fire 60 years ago in october 1957. Windscale britains biggest nuclear disaster however, the windscale wasnt built to fulfill the dreams of britains young atomic heroes. Feel free to reproduce this content but please credit. A nuclear reactor in the north of england caught fire 60 years ago in october 1957.
Windscale on fire, 1957 paul langleys nuclear history blog. Windscale fire nuclear accident, cumbria, united kingdom 1957. Sellafield s biggest decommissioning challenges relate to the legacy of the early nuclear research and nuclear weapons programmes. Oct 10, 2017 read the latest border stories, britains worst nuclear accident. The fire took place in unit 1 of the twopile windscale facility on the northwest coast of england in cumberland now sellafield, cumbria. Cows graze with windscale nuclear plant, which was renamed sellafield in 1981, in the distance. The us decided to restrict its dissemination of information to the british. Britains biggest n uclear disaster film revealing how political ambition fuelled the windscale fire of 1957 and then dictated that the heroes of windscale be made the scapegoats.
The problems posed by a burnt out reactor have already been faced in the uk owing to the fire at windscale in the 1950s and it is too early to say whether there are relevant parallels that can be used for fukushima. Fifty years ago, on the night of 10 october 1957, britain was on the brink of an unprecedented nuclear tragedy. Windscale radiation doubly dangerous science the guardian. An assessment of the radiological impact of the windscale. In 1946, the british government commissioned the windscale nuclear facility near the town of sellafield in northern england. The windscale fire of 10 october 1957 was the worst nuclear accident in great britain s history, ranked in severity at level 5 out of a possible 7 on the international nuclear event scale. Britains biggest nuclear disaster film revealing how political ambition fuelled the windscale fire of 1957 and then dictated that the heroes of. Humans, animals and the environment due to radioactivity that. The windscale site was home to britain s first two nuclear reactors the windscale piles which were constructed to produce plutonium and other materials for the uk s nuclear weapons programme. Oct 23, 2009 on the night of 10 october 1957 a fire broke out in pile number one at windscale. Due to its flawed design resulting from bureaucratic mismanagement and unrealistic demands. The fire spread radioactive fallout over hundreds of miles.
Recent analyses of the disaster suggest that the plant may have been doomed from the start. Documentary about the 1957 reactor fire in the windscale plant in england, which released a large amount of radioactive material into the environment. On the night of 10 october 1957, a fire began to spread throughout the core of the windscale nuclear reactor, sending radioactive dust across britain. The windscale fire remains the uks worst ever nuclear accident. The first nuclear reactors were built to produce weaponsgrade plutonium and the first british nuclear bombs were produced in 1952. A deadly dream the use of the abomb to end wwii had caused a desperate arms race to begin around the globe. Dec 09, 2012 the windscale fire disaster is one of the worst nuclear accidents to occur in the western world however, it also seems to be among the least well known. In 1957 a nuclear reactor in the north of england caught fire. Morlais john harris was working at the windscale nuclear. In the longer term, the experience from windscale will help in decommissioning new nuclear power stations. Nov 04, 2014 they were labelled a waste of time and money, but in 1957 the bulging tips of windscale piles saved much of northern england from becoming a nuclear wasteland after a fire broke out in the reactor.
In october 1957 britain spread a plume of radioactive contamination into the atmosphere from a nuclear reactor fire at sellafield. Britain s biggest nuclear disaster fifty years ago, britain suffered its worst nuclear accident. What happened was winston churchill wanted more tritium for hbombs, so the engineers put more fuel in each fuel cartridge by decreasing the cooling fin size. Dec 18, 20 on the morning of friday, october 11, 1957, workers at the nuclear reactor windscale pile 1 near seascale, cumberland, england, faced a terrible choice. Bbc news sciencenature windscale fallout underestimated. The windscale fire of 10 october 1957 was the worst nuclear accident in great britains history, ranked in severity at level 5 out of a possible 7 on the. Effects a nuclear accident can be defined by the international atomic energy agency iaea as.
But the rush to build them when little was known about nuclear reactors led to what was at the time the world s biggest nuclear disaster, although it. Fifty years since fire spread through the core of the windscale nuclear reactor in cumbria, tape recordings of the inquiry are finally made public. The crippling of the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant in. Windscale britain s biggest nuclear disaster on the night of 10 october 1957 a fire broke out in pile number one at windscale.