Y-2 Criticality Accident, Oak Ridge, 1958

Accident scenario

The criticality accident occurred in June 1958. Eight men recieved whole-body irradiation with mixed gamma-rays and neutrons. (Ref., United States Atomic Energy Commission, Accidental radiation excursion at the Y-12 plant. Report Y-1234, Office of Technical Services, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, 1958)

Chromosomal dosimetry

The first blood samples were obtained between November 1960 and January 1961 (about 2.5 years after accident), and the second set of blood samples was obtained in November 1961 (42 months after the accident). Leukocytes were cultured for 3 days.

References

1. Bender MA and Gooch PC: Persistent chromosome aberrations in irradiated human subjects. Radiat. Res., 16: 44-53, 1962.      2. Bender MA and Gooch PC: Persistent chromosome aberrations in irradiated human subjects. II. Three and one-half year investigation. Radiat. Res., 18: 389-396, 1963.

Chromosome aberration analysis

.
	Cace	Physical dose (rad)	First sample					Second sample
			No. of cells	Aberrations				No. of cells	Aberrations
				Minute	Rings	Dicentrics	Transloc+Inv		Minute	Rings	Dicentrics	Transloc+Inv
	A	365	100	5	0	1	1	100	1	0	4	7
	B	270	100	0	0	1	1	100	0	0	2	6
	C	339	142	3	4	19	2	100	4	0	2	9
	D	327	100	5	1	3	1	86	1	0	2	3
	E	236	75	0	0	1	0	100	1	0	3	2
	F	68.5	109	0	0	0	0	100	2	0	0	2
	G	68.5	107	1	0	0	0	100	1	0	0	1
	H	22.8	98	0	0	0	0	100	0	0	1	2
													.