Wood River Junction, Rhode Island was home to the United Nuclear Corporation Fuels Recovery Plant - constructed in 1963 and abandoned in 1981…what remains of it now is hidden away inside a nature preserve. It looks peaceful now, but back in 1964 this was the site of New England’s only known nuclear fatality, when a criticality accident occurred at the plant.

Filmed/Edited/Narrated by Jason Allard

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Sources:
Aerial Radiological Survey | https://rb.gy/5j8qk
United Nuclear Investigation Report | https://rb.gy/vdixj
British Journal of Radiology Multi Organ Failure Report | https://rb.gy/pz809
Federal Register Decontamination Report | https://rb.gy/svftd
US Dept of Energy Review of Criticality Accidents 2000 Revision | https://rb.gy/ogcgk

Music By:
Dexter Yu | https://rb.gy/exmuzo
Wee Free Music | https://rb.gy/funnx
Saint Mike | https://rb.gy/miod2
Prod Wave | https://rb.gy/l8251
Billan | https://rb.gy/r2fz7


The Wood River Junction Criticality Incident occurred at the United Nuclear Corporation Fuels Recovery Plant in 1964 and resulted in the only fatality in the private nuclear industry in America. The criticality incident took place when a technician, Robert Peabody, mistakenly poured highly concentrated enriched uranium into a mixer, causing a nuclear reaction and a small explosion. Peabody was exposed to a fatal dose of radiation and subsequently died from extreme radiation exposure.

How bad was the incident? Radiation levels at the facility were so high that the Geiger counters on-site couldn’t even measure them. Robert’s exact movements after the accident could be traced because he left behind radioactive footprints on the ground. The ambulance he took to the hospital had to be crushed and buried underground because it had absorbed so much radiation. And his wedding ring had to be removed because it had turned into radioactive gold.

The Atomic Energy Commission eventually found the company in violation of 14 safety regulations and the plant was shut down for decontamination, but reopened in February of 1965. As a settlement, the Peabody family received $22,000 dollars from the United Nuclear Corporation Fuels Recovery plant. as if that wasn’t insulting enough…in order to save face, the company placed the blame squarely on Robert Peabody.

The incident was basically swept under the rug and business continued here as usual until 1980, 16 years after Peabody’s death. When United Nuclear closed citing declining profits in 1980, leaks of radioactive water into the soil and groundwater had polluted the site of the plant. This put the site under the authority of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The federal government then began a multi million-dollar, decades-long decontamination of the 1,114-acre site. Fortunately, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission declared the site safe in October 1995. In 2011, state and federal officials determined no further clean-up action was required.

Despite the tragic history associated with the Wood River Junction incident, the land has been transformed into a nature preserve with public trails, providing a peaceful environment. The text concludes by reflecting on the role the location played in the history of nuclear energy in America and emphasizing nature's ability to forgive and bring peace to Robert Peabody's memory in Rhode Island.


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