194 Eva Castringius
26. Igor Kostin, Chernobyl, 9–10.
27. See Igor Kostin, Chernobyl, 71. Kostin cites the unit roentgen (R), which is no
longer permitted today, having been replaced by the sievert (Sv) or the gray (Gy).
One roentgen corresponds to one millisievert under the condition that is the
biological effect of ionizing radiation or other photon radiation, such as gamma
radiation. Hence, 25 roentgens would be a dose of 250 millisievert (mSv). By comparison, the Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz established an annual dose of 20 mSv
for people professional exposed to radiation. On this, see https://www.bfs.de/DE/
themen/ion/strahlenschutz/grenzwerte/grenzwerte.html#Anker3.
28. This would correspond to a radiation of 100,000 mSv/h.
29. Kostin, Chernobyl, 78–79.
30. See Alexander Kluge, Die Wächter des Sarkophags: 10 Jahre Tschernobyl (Hamburg:
Rotbuch, 1996), 50.
31. See the interview by Christine Daum with Igor Kostin, in Osteuropa 56, no. 4,
(2006): 57–62, esp. 62.
32. See Kostin, Chernobyl, 9.
33. See Geimer, “Was ist kein Bild?,” 313–341.
34. See Josef Maria Eder, Ausführliches Handbuch der Photografie, 3. Teil, vol. 1/2 (Halle:
Wilhelm Knapp, 1930).
35. Peter Geimer, “Was ist kein Bild?,” 326.
36. Peter Geimer, “Was ist kein Bild?,” 326.
37. The Gadget, July 16, 1945.
38. See “New Mexico’s Atomic Bomb Crater,” Life 19, no. 13 (September 24, 1945):
27–30.
39. “New Mexico’s Atomic Bomb Crater.”
40. “New Mexico’s Atomic Bomb Crater,” 27.
41. Groves knew the report of the first test of the Gadget on May 7, 1945; he knew of
the first accident in Los Alamos on August 21, 1945, after which a worker died on
September 15, 1945, from the consequences of acute radiation exposure. See Jon
Hunner, Inventing Los Alamos: The Growth of an Atomic Community (Norman, OK:
University of Oklahoma Press, 2004), 84ff.
42. William L. Laurence, “Nagasaki was the Climax of the New Mexico Test,” Life
19, no. 13 (September 24, 1945): 27–31, esp. 30. This section of his text is based on
his report “Eyewitness Account of Atomic Bomb over Nagasaki,” published by the
Defense Department on September 9, 1945. William L. Laurence’s full report can
be read at http://www.atomicarchive.com/Docs/Hiroshima/Nagasaki.shtml.
43. William L. Laurence, “Nagasaki,” 28.
44. William L. Laurence, “Nagasaki,” 27.
45. This is probably not the original object of the autoradiograph; rather, Goro
arranged the pieces of trinitite for viewing.
46. Peter Thomas and Stefan Goreau, On the Nature of Things: The Scientific Photography
of Fritz Goro (New York, NY: Aperture, 1993), 13.
47. See “Canada Mines Uranium in Arctic,” Life 20, no. 2 ( January 14, 1946): 21–28.
48. Pitch blende from the Eldorado Mine was used to produce the plutonium for the
Gadget (the name of the bomb in the Trinity test).
49. Laboratory animals such as pigs, goats, guinea pigs, rats, and mice were brought to
Bikini Atoll aboard target ships and positioned on 22 ships of the target flotilla in order
to expose them to the atomic weapon explosion and its radiation and pressure effects.
The goal was to test their suitability and their ability to survive a nuclear conflict.
They were placed in stations where the crew was also supposed to be in case of attack.
50. Thomas F. Goreau (Fritz Goro’s son) was a recognized marine biologist and coral
reef expert. At the age of 46, he died of cancer that had been caused by radiation from his research work on Bikini Atoll. He came into contact with the
26. Igor Kostin, Chernobyl, 9–10.
27. See Igor Kostin, Chernobyl, 71. Kostin cites the unit roentgen (R), which is no
longer permitted today, having been replaced by the sievert (Sv) or the gray (Gy).
One roentgen corresponds to one millisievert under the condition that is the
biological effect of ionizing radiation or other photon radiation, such as gamma
radiation. Hence, 25 roentgens would be a dose of 250 millisievert (mSv). By comparison, the Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz established an annual dose of 20 mSv
for people professional exposed to radiation. On this, see https://www.bfs.de/DE/
themen/ion/strahlenschutz/grenzwerte/grenzwerte.html#Anker3.
28. This would correspond to a radiation of 100,000 mSv/h.
29. Kostin, Chernobyl, 78–79.
30. See Alexander Kluge, Die Wächter des Sarkophags: 10 Jahre Tschernobyl (Hamburg:
Rotbuch, 1996), 50.
31. See the interview by Christine Daum with Igor Kostin, in Osteuropa 56, no. 4,
(2006): 57–62, esp. 62.
32. See Kostin, Chernobyl, 9.
33. See Geimer, “Was ist kein Bild?,” 313–341.
34. See Josef Maria Eder, Ausführliches Handbuch der Photografie, 3. Teil, vol. 1/2 (Halle:
Wilhelm Knapp, 1930).
35. Peter Geimer, “Was ist kein Bild?,” 326.
36. Peter Geimer, “Was ist kein Bild?,” 326.
37. The Gadget, July 16, 1945.
38. See “New Mexico’s Atomic Bomb Crater,” Life 19, no. 13 (September 24, 1945):
27–30.
39. “New Mexico’s Atomic Bomb Crater.”
40. “New Mexico’s Atomic Bomb Crater,” 27.
41. Groves knew the report of the first test of the Gadget on May 7, 1945; he knew of
the first accident in Los Alamos on August 21, 1945, after which a worker died on
September 15, 1945, from the consequences of acute radiation exposure. See Jon
Hunner, Inventing Los Alamos: The Growth of an Atomic Community (Norman, OK:
University of Oklahoma Press, 2004), 84ff.
42. William L. Laurence, “Nagasaki was the Climax of the New Mexico Test,” Life
19, no. 13 (September 24, 1945): 27–31, esp. 30. This section of his text is based on
his report “Eyewitness Account of Atomic Bomb over Nagasaki,” published by the
Defense Department on September 9, 1945. William L. Laurence’s full report can
be read at http://www.atomicarchive.com/Docs/Hiroshima/Nagasaki.shtml.
43. William L. Laurence, “Nagasaki,” 28.
44. William L. Laurence, “Nagasaki,” 27.
45. This is probably not the original object of the autoradiograph; rather, Goro
arranged the pieces of trinitite for viewing.
46. Peter Thomas and Stefan Goreau, On the Nature of Things: The Scientific Photography
of Fritz Goro (New York, NY: Aperture, 1993), 13.
47. See “Canada Mines Uranium in Arctic,” Life 20, no. 2 ( January 14, 1946): 21–28.
48. Pitch blende from the Eldorado Mine was used to produce the plutonium for the
Gadget (the name of the bomb in the Trinity test).
49. Laboratory animals such as pigs, goats, guinea pigs, rats, and mice were brought to
Bikini Atoll aboard target ships and positioned on 22 ships of the target flotilla in order
to expose them to the atomic weapon explosion and its radiation and pressure effects.
The goal was to test their suitability and their ability to survive a nuclear conflict.
They were placed in stations where the crew was also supposed to be in case of attack.
50. Thomas F. Goreau (Fritz Goro’s son) was a recognized marine biologist and coral
reef expert. At the age of 46, he died of cancer that had been caused by radiation from his research work on Bikini Atoll. He came into contact with the