This article lists notable
civilian
Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...
accidents involving
fissile
In nuclear engineering, fissile material is material capable of sustaining a nuclear fission chain reaction. By definition, fissile material can sustain a chain reaction with neutrons of thermal energy. The predominant neutron energy may be typ ...
nuclear material
Nuclear material refers to the metals uranium, plutonium, and thorium, in any form, according to the IAEA. This is differentiated further into "source material", consisting of natural and depleted uranium, and "special fissionable material", con ...
or
nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction or nuclear fusion reactions. Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion. Heat from nu ...
s. Military accidents are listed at
List of military nuclear accidents
This article lists notable military accidents involving nuclear material. Civilian accidents are listed at List of civilian nuclear accidents. For a general discussion of both civilian and military accidents, see nuclear and radiation accidents. ...
. Civil radiation accidents not involving fissile material are listed at
List of civilian radiation accidents
This article lists notable civilian accidents involving radioactive materials or involving ionizing radiation from artificial sources such as x-ray tubes and particle accelerators. Accidents related to nuclear power that involve fissile materia ...
. For a general discussion of both civilian and military accidents, see
Nuclear and radiation accidents
A nuclear and radiation accident is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as "an event that has led to significant consequences to people, the environment or the facility. Examples include lethal effects to individuals, lar ...
.
Scope of this article
In listing civilian nuclear accidents, the following criteria have been followed:
# Notably severe: there must be well-attested and substantial health damage, property damage or contamination; if an
International Nuclear Event Scale
The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) was introduced in 1990 by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in order to enable prompt communication of safety significant information in case of nuclear accidents.
The s ...
(INES) level is available, of at least two.
# Nuclear aspect: the damage must be related directly to nuclear operations or materials; the event should involve fissile material or a reactor, not merely (for example) having occurred at the site of a nuclear power plant.
# Primarily civilian: the nuclear operation/material must be principally for non-military purposes.
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
See also
*
Criticality accident
A criticality accident is an accidental uncontrolled nuclear fission chain reaction. It is sometimes referred to as a critical excursion, critical power excursion, or divergent chain reaction. Any such event involves the unintended accumulation ...
*
International Nuclear Events Scale
*
List of Chernobyl-related articles
This is a list of Chernobyl-related articles.
Disaster and effects
* Comparison of Chernobyl and other radioactivity releases
** Comparison of the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents
* Chernobyl disaster
* Effects of the Chernobyl disa ...
*
List of civilian nuclear incidents
*
List of civilian radiation accidents
This article lists notable civilian accidents involving radioactive materials or involving ionizing radiation from artificial sources such as x-ray tubes and particle accelerators. Accidents related to nuclear power that involve fissile materia ...
*
List of industrial disasters
This article lists notable industrial disasters, which are disasters caused by industrial companies, either by accident, negligence or incompetence. They are a form of industrial accident where great damage, injury or loss of life are caused.
...
*
List of military nuclear accidents
This article lists notable military accidents involving nuclear material. Civilian accidents are listed at List of civilian nuclear accidents. For a general discussion of both civilian and military accidents, see nuclear and radiation accidents. ...
*
List of crimes involving radioactive substances
This is a list of criminal (or arguably, allegedly, or potentially criminal) acts intentionally involving radioactive substances. Inclusion in this list does not necessarily imply that anyone involved was guilty of a crime. For accidents or crimes ...
*
List of nuclear reactors
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
a comprehensive annotated list of the world's nuclear reactors
*
Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents
These are lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents.
Main lists
* List of attacks on nuclear plants
* List of Chernobyl-related articles
* List of civilian nuclear accidents
* List of civilian radiation accidents
* List of cri ...
*
Nuclear and radiation accidents
A nuclear and radiation accident is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as "an event that has led to significant consequences to people, the environment or the facility. Examples include lethal effects to individuals, lar ...
*
Nuclear reactor technology
A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction or nuclear fusion reactions. Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion. Heat from nu ...
*
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...
*
Nuclear power debate
The nuclear power debate is a long-running controversy about the risks and benefits of using nuclear reactors to generate electricity for civilian purposes. The debate about nuclear power peaked during the 1970s and 1980s, as more and more reac ...
*
Radiation
In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes:
* ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visi ...
*
List of hydroelectric power station failures
This is a list of major hydroelectric power station failures due to damage to a hydroelectric power station or its connections. Every generating station trips from time to time due to minor defects and can usually be restarted when the defect h ...
References
External links
Nuclear power plant accidents: listed and ranked since 1952Timeline: Nuclear plant accidentsProgettoHumus – Mondo in Cammino: List updated of nuclear accidents in the historySchema-root.org: Nuclear Power Accidents 2 topics, both with a current news feed
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) websitewith search function and electronic public reading room
International Atomic Energy Agency websitewith extensive online library
Canada's Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC)Concerned Citizens for Nuclear SafetyDetailed articles on nuclear watchdog activities in the US
Background on ionizing radiation and doses
More information on radiation units and doses.
Extensive, well-referenced list of radiological incidents.
Critical Hour: Three Mile Island, The Nuclear Legacy, And National SecurityOnline book by Albert J. Fritsch, Arthur H. Purcell, and Mary Byrd Davis
Annotated bibliography on civilian nuclear accidents from the Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues.Partial list of Indian nuclear accidents
{{DEFAULTSORT:Civilian Nuclear Accidents
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Lists of nuclear disasters
Nuclear technology-related lists