1970s
- 1977 — Dounreay, UK — - release of nuclear material
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- An explosion at the research establishment causes a mixture of unrecorded waste to be leaked from a waste disposal shaft.
- July 16, 1979 – Church Rock, New Mexico – release of radioactive mine tailings
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- An earth/clay dike of an United Nuclear Corporation's uranium mill's settling/evaporating pond failed. The broken dam released 100 million U.S. gallons (380,000 m³) of radioactive liquids and 1,100 short tons (1,000 metric tonnes) of solid wastes, which settled out up to 70 miles (100 km) down the Puerco River and also near a Navaho farming community that uses surface waters. The pond was past its planned and licensed life and had been filled two feet (60 cm) deeper than design, despite evident cracking.
- See also: Church Rock uranium mill spill
- September 29, 1979 - Tritium leak at American Atomics in Tucson, Arizona at the public school across the street from the plant. $300,000 worth of food was found to be contaminated; the chocolate cake had 56 nCi/L. By contrast, the EPA safety limit for drinking water is 20 nCi/L (740 Bq/L) based on consumption of 2 liters per day.
Read more about this topic: List Of Civilian Radiation Accidents