Nuclear Disaster: Arco Incident

In 1961, during an experimental nuclear reactor test in Arco, Idaho, a control rod was pulled too far, causing the reactor to go critical. The resulting steam explosion lifted the reactor and threw out components, impaling and killing one sailor and injuring two soldiers. The steam also released radioactive material, resulting in the deaths of all three men. They were buried in a lead coffin near the site, which is still monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency. This incident remains the only human fatalities from a reactor explosion in the United States.

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