WI: "Demon Core" criticality accident worse

[M.R.L]

The "Demon Core" was a subcritical mass of plutonium that went briefly went critical due to accidents by personal on at two occasions, both times the reaction was stopped by one of the physicists quickly moving the neutron reflector immediately at the cost of their lives. What if in one of these incidents the personal doesn't react quick enough (trips?) or something else prevents it's immediate deactivation, from what I can tell another couple seconds would have killed everyone in the room and the reaction would've continued. Could there have been a major radiological incident in the 1940s?

(I'm not solid on all the details so this could be a non-starter)

 

[Delta Force]

Radiation poisoning doesn't lead to instant incapacitation, it can take minutes to hours before symptoms arise. Also, Harry Daghlian Jr., who died as a result of the first incident, likely would have survived if more had been known about radiation poisoning at the time.

 

[M.R.L]

Radiation poisoning doesn't lead to instant incapacitation, it can take minutes to hours before symptoms arise. Also, Harry Daghlian Jr., who died as a result of the first incident, likely would have survived if more had been known about radiation poisoning at the time.

Thank you for the information! I'll have to look elsewhere for nuclear meltdowns PODS early in the atomic age.

 

[Delta Force]

Thank you for the information! I'll have to look elsewhere for nuclear meltdowns PODS early in the atomic age.

Do you mean radiological incidents, nuclear related incidents, or incidents involving nuclear power? Also, nuclear reactors can have incidents that are not related to core integrity or loss of coolant.

 

[M.R.L]

Do you mean radiological incidents, nuclear related incidents, or incidents involving nuclear power? Also, nuclear reactors can have incidents that are not related to core integrity or loss of coolant.

Any one of those.

 

[Delta Force]

Any one of those.

How about incidents that plausibly could have happened?

As for historical, Wikipedia has some extensive lists. This article is essentially a list of those lists.