Reason why Kodak, known for film, noticed the nuclear test performed secretly

By Jack Aeby

July 16, 1945, in New MexicoWhite Sands Performance Test Site"Trinity experiment" which is the first nuclear test in human history was carried out. Although this experiment was done secretly from the preparation stage and only the related person should know the result, Kodak, known as a manufacturer of photographic items such as film, said that "nuclear test was carried out quite early" It reached the fact.

When Kodak Accidentally Discovered A-Bomb Testing
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Although "Trinity experiment" was successfully successful, it was not revealed that it was a nuclear test, and for the general public announcement that "there was an explosion accident in the pyrotechnic chamber, but there was no dead or injured" I was.

After this experiment was over, many customers complained of "I seem to be fogged on the film because it is fogged and not usable" from customers who bought film for X-ray under Kodak.

According to a document by Julian H. Webb, a physicist belonging to Kodak's R & D department, to the American Physical Society in 1949, the phenomenon that Kodak fogged the film even in the early 1940's As I was awake and I found out that the cause was in radium, packaging and protective materials for film are not affected by radium, Vincennes, Indiana and IowaTamaIt was produced at the pulp factory.

In response to this situation still occurred, Mr. Webb started the investigation. As a result, it was found out that the foggy film was affected by another radioactive substance which was not radium, and that the package itself was also contaminated with radiation.

And from the evidence left in the picture, the half-life of this mysterious radioactive material is about 30 days,Cerium 141I caught it.

When was the problem contaminated? Straw which is the raw material of cardboard was preserved for a long time in the warehouse before use. If cerium 141 directly affected the straw, it would have been almost impossible to detect radiation when it was processed as cardboard. Therefore, Mr. Webb's conclusion was that "it comes from the water of the river". The pulp mill used a lot of water, the factory of Vincennes was on the Wabash River, and the plant at Tama was facing the Iowa River. Pollution was thought to have been caused by radioactive matter soared by some activity done in a distant place, caused by rain.

Although it is not certain whether Mr. Webb knew about the Trinity experiment as of 1945, in a document published in 1949, "As the most likely explanation, on July 16, 1945 New Mexico The radioactive material derived from the explosion of the atomic bomb carried out in the province has been brought to the wind. " Since it is too serious information, there is also the theory that it was hiding public until 1949.

Pictures of the affected Kodak film are kore.

Kodak Film Fogged by the Trinity Test (1945)
http://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/hiroshimatrinity/kodakfilm.htm

By Oak Ridge Associated Universities

By the way, the fact that radioactive substances flowed to the east by the wind was supposed by Colonel B. G. Holtzmann who was a meteorologist of the Air Force, suggesting to make the experimental site on the east coast was ignored, The next test site was built in Nevada.

The first nuclear test at this Nevada test site was conducted on January 27, 1951. Kodak has a Geiger Counter at the headquarters in New York State, detecting radiation 25 times more than usual days a few days after the experiment, and in case the film is destroyed to the Atomic Energy Commission just as it was in 1945 Although I offered to make it, the Atomic Energy Commission only issued a press release to the Associated Press, "It has been snowing including radioactive material at Rochester, but there is no harm to humans and animals."

In March 1951, Kodak recently appealed to the government "Kodak products are heavily affected by Nevada tests or other nuclear tests." In response to this, the Atomic Energy Commission announced that "At the time of experimenting, when we do the experiment in the future, we will tell the place and the schedule so that Kodak can take measures" Agreed with the content that it is.

By the way, Kodak is located in the premises of Rochester company grounds, for neutron image outputcaliforniumNeutron amplifier "CFX" installed. It has been revealed that it did not inform the surrounding residents about this for more than 30 years, closed the facility in November 2007, and carried out highly enriched uranium.

Kodak Company had installed equipment using highly enriched uranium for over 30 years without informing local residents | Slad Science
http://science.srad.jp/story/12/05/16/0031214/