The Criticality Accident in Sarov

On 17 June 1997 a physicist working as a senior technician at the Nuclear Centre, Sarov, in the Russian Federation, was severely exposed as a result of a criticality accident with an assembly of highly enriched uranium. This is the first report that the IAEA has published on a criticality accident.

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On 17 June 1997 a physicist working as a senior technician at the Nuclear Centre, Sarov, in the Russian Federation, was severely exposed as a result of a criticality accident with an assembly of highly enriched uranium. The exposure, which caused a high neutron radiation dose, led to death within three days despite prompt medical attention. This is the first report that the IAEA has published on a criticality accident. It is based on the information provided by the Russian authorities and addresses the circumstances leading to the accident as well as the medical management of the patient.