Green Run facts for kids
The "Green Run" was a secret experiment done by the U.S. Government. It happened on December 2–3, 1949, at the Hanford Site in Eastern Washington. During this experiment, a large amount of radioactive material was purposely released into the air.
The goal was for the U.S. Air Force to practice detecting radioactive releases. They wanted to be able to track similar releases from other countries. Documents later released through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) have shared some details about this event.
What Was the Green Run Experiment?
The "Green Run" was a special test. It involved releasing fission products, which are tiny radioactive bits. These bits came from a facility that made plutonium. Plutonium is a material used in nuclear weapons.
The experiment released a lot of iodine-131. It also released even more xenon-133. These are both types of radioactive materials. The radiation spread over areas where people lived. Because of this, the U.S. Government stopped these kinds of planned releases at Hanford. This pause lasted until 1962.
Some documents suggest that other similar tests happened in the 1940s. But the "Green Run" was one of the biggest. Evidence shows that special filters were turned off during the "Green Run." These filters would normally remove the iodine.
Why Did This Experiment Happen?
Scientists and officials have shared their memories about the "Green Run." Dr. Carl C. Gamertsfelder, a health physicist, explained the reason. He said the Air Force wanted to learn how to track radioactive releases from the Soviet Union. This was during the Cold War, when the U.S. and the Soviet Union were rivals.
Dr. Gamertsfelder remembered a call from Herb Parker. Parker asked him and his team to help with the experiment. Dr. Gamertsfelder said, "We didn't recommend, we wouldn't have recommended, that they operate it. We told them that. They wanted to run anyway, and they did run." This shows that some scientists had concerns.
How Did We Find Out About It?
The "Green Run" was a secret for many years. People learned about it later because of the Freedom of Information Act. This law allows citizens to ask the government for documents. Through FOIA requests, many details about the experiment became public. This helped people understand what happened.
