In December 1952, Canada experienced the world's first major nuclear reactor accident at the NRX facility in Chalk River, Ontario. A mechanical failure coupled with human error triggered a series of power surges, leading to hydrogen explosions and the partial melting of the reactor core. Millions of gallons of radioactively contaminated water flooded the basement of the reactor building.
The containment and soil remediation efforts extended deep into 1953, pioneering modern nuclear cleanup techniques. Because the facility was vital to Allied nuclear research, the US Navy dispatched a specialized nuclear submarine team led by Lieutenant Jimmy Carter. Carter and his crew built an exact replica of the reactor on a nearby field to practice disassembling it in record time.
Due to lethal radiation levels inside the actual containment building, workers were permitted to stay near the core for a maximum of ninety seconds at a time. Carter's team successfully scrubbed the site and excavated thousands of tons of contaminated soil, burying it in specialized sandy trenches lined with clay to prevent groundwater leach. This high-stakes operation not only established early protocols for nuclear soil remediation and waste containment, but it also deeply shaped Carter's future nuclear proliferation policies as President of the United States.