The Hanford site in southern Washington State was built in 1943, far from any urban center to compensate for the impact of a potential nuclear accident. It was dedicated to the creation of plutonium by irradiation of uranium and its activity was one of the milestones in the development of the bomb.
Despite the radioactive danger, researchers needed to visually inspect the physical and chemical phenomena. Glass windows very heavily loaded with lead were used for their protection.
A window of Hanford type is estimated $ 150K, for sale by Bonhams in New York on October 22, lot 262.
This highly unusual piece is a rectangle of 137 x 91 cm with a 15 cm depth, weighing 680 kg, re-emitting a strange yellow glow. The catalog makes it clear that this specimen is not radioactive.