In 1949 , just as the United States was increasingly palpate the pressing of aCold Warwith Russia , the Air Force made a decision that would have import for decades to arrive : They deliberatelyreleasedradioactive cloth over the populated country of Hanford , Washington .
The experimentation , nickname Green Run , had design . Military word was afraid the Soviets had made progress on nuclear weapons and wanted to see if their radioactive elements could be distinguish by instruments . In guild to do that , they needed radioactive textile in the atmosphere to mensurate .
Hanford was the idealistic location . The area ’s military base had been in operation since 1943 and was task with producing plutonium for the nation ’s nuclear weapons . In this rural swath of Washington , enough atomic number 94 was being made to feed 60,000 nuclear bomb calorimeter .
Inevitably , some of that material scat into the air and territory . But Green Run would be a much in high spirits and more concentrated Elvis . The radioactive material come in the form of iodine-131 , which is normally allowed to cool and decay . To keep it fighting — and because they mistrust the Soviets were doing the same — the I was “ short - cooled ” and therefore perceptible .
On December 2 , 1949 , scientist at Hanfordpoureda sulfurous chemical substance on atomic number 92 with the hope it would waft into the airwave . Between 7000 and 12,000 curies were released via 1 ton of short - cooled fuel , which was belike more than official intended . ( The notorious nuclear accident atThree Mile Islandhad release or so 17 Marya Sklodowska ; Chernobyl , 35 million to 49 million curies . )
The leave plumage was massive , cover a 200 - mile - by-40 - knot expanse and settling on the earth — not only at the plant , but downwind of it , too . Because it was wintertime , when no vegetation was being harvest , it was consider comparatively safe , although others believed cold weather could simply snare radioactive gases in the ground . It was all a grand experimentation , though not one that residents had given their consent for .
When the classified operation was last break in the 1980s and 1990s , those living near Hanfordbelievedthere was a causative effect between the radiation and health problems . Even without Green Run , the area was believed to have been bathed in radiation — sometimes greater than the 17 Madame Curie of Three Mile Island per Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . Fish and cow ’s milk were dosed , subjecting resident to adverse effect .
Those who believed they had been harm by Hanford ’s nuclear work became known as “ downwinders . ” They voicedcomplaintsof cancers , miscarriages , and other wellness issues . Some sympathized with their plight , while others criticized them for being paranoid . Lawsuits ensued , though only two — plaintiffs with thyroid gland Crab — were awarded any legal injury . ( Other , small settlements were offer in 2015 . ) Legally , at least , it was too difficult to prove causing between wellness issue and the situation .
Today , the Hanford website ismonitoredfor radiation and is not currently considered a health hazard to surround area . Under the aegis of the Department of Energy and the National Park Service , visitor can eventourits B Reactor site , which is considered a National Historic Landmark .
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