Research: italics support← Previous revisionRevision as of 12:01, 18 October 2026 Line 76: Line 76: In 1948, using work on nuclear fission, the Joliot-Curies, along with other scientists, created the first French [[nuclear reactor]]. The couple were active in the organization behind the project, the {{lang|fr|italic=unset|[[Commissariat à l'énergie atomique]]}} (CEA), the French Atomic Energy Commission. Irène was a CEA commissioner while her husband, Frédéric, was its high commissioner. The reactor, [[Zoé (reactor)|Zoé]] (Zéro énergie Oxyde et Eau lourde) used nuclear fission to generate five [[kilowatts]] of power.{{Reference page|page=120}} This was the beginning of nuclear energy as a source of power for France.{{cite web |url=https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-saga-of-nuclear-energy/ |title=The Saga of Nuclear Energy |last=Bécoulet |first=Alain |date=17 February 2022 |access-date=20 September 2026|website=MIT Press|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260430003015/https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-saga-of-nuclear-energy/|archive-date=30 April 2026|url-status=live}} In 1948, using work on nuclear fission, the Joliot-Curies, along with other scientists, created the first French [[nuclear reactor]]. The couple were active in the organization behind the project, the {{lang|fr|italic=unset|[[Commissariat à l'énergie atomique]]}} (CEA), the French Atomic Energy Commission. Irène was a CEA commissioner while her husband, Frédéric, was its high commissioner. The reactor, [[Zoé (reactor)|Zoé]] (Zéro énergie Oxyde et Eau lourde) used nuclear fission to generate five [[kilowatts]] of power.{{Reference page|page=120}} This was the beginning of nuclear energy as a source of power for France.{{cite web |url=https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-saga-of-nuclear-energy/ |title=The Saga of Nuclear Energy |last=Bécoulet |first=Alain |date=17 February 2022 |access-date=20 September 2026|website=MIT Press|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260430003015/https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-saga-of-nuclear-energy/|archive-date=30 April 2026|url-status=live}} In 1949 she officially became director of her mother's [[Curie Institute (Paris)|Institut Curie]] which she had supported for many years.{{Reference page|page=187}} In 1949 she officially became director of her mother's {{lang|fr|italic=unset|[[Curie Institute (Paris)|Institut Curie]]}} which she had supported for many years.{{Reference page|page=187}} Years of working so closely with radioactive materials finally caught up with Joliot-Curie, and she was diagnosed with [[leukemia]].{{Cite book |last=McGrayne |first=Sharon Bertsch |title=Nobel Prize Women in Science: Their Lives, Struggles, and Momentous Discoveries |publisher=Joseph Henry Press |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-309-07270-0 |location=Washington, DC |pages=117–143}} She had been accidentally exposed to [[polonium]] when a sealed capsule of the element exploded on her laboratory bench in 1946.{{Cite web |last=Zielinski |first=Sarah |date=2011-10-03 |title=Six Secrets of Polonium |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/six-secrets-of-polonium-94821613/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528101648/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/six-secrets-of-polonium-94821613/ |archive-date=2023-05-28 |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}} Treatment with antibiotics and a series of operations relieved her suffering temporarily, but her condition deteriorated. She nevertheless continued to work. In 1955, she prepared plans for new physics laboratories at the [[Paris-Saclay Faculty of Sciences|Orsay Faculty of Sciences]], later completed by her husband. Years of working so closely with radioactive materials finally caught up with Joliot-Curie, and she was diagnosed with [[leukemia]].{{Cite book |last=McGrayne |first=Sharon Bertsch |title=Nobel Prize Women in Science: Their Lives, Struggles, and Momentous Discoveries |publisher=Joseph Henry Press |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-309-07270-0 |location=Washington, DC |pages=117–143}} She had been accidentally exposed to [[polonium]] when a sealed capsule of the element exploded on her laboratory bench in 1946.{{Cite web |last=Zielinski |first=Sarah |date=2011-10-03 |title=Six Secrets of Polonium |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/six-secrets-of-polonium-94821613/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528101648/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/six-secrets-of-polonium-94821613/ |archive-date=2023-05-28 |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}} Treatment with antibiotics and a series of operations relieved her suffering temporarily, but her condition deteriorated. She nevertheless continued to work. In 1955, she prepared plans for new physics laboratories at the [[Paris-Saclay Faculty of Sciences|Orsay Faculty of Sciences]], later completed by her husband.