Album: What Will I Wear Today?

Manhattan Project National Historical Park

An employee’s job dictated the level of protective dress. The typical radiological worker would wear “whites,” which consisted of coveralls and a cap. Anyone working with water was required to wear an apron and boots over his whites. Work near the reactor face required gloves, coveralls, hood, mask, and a second layer of clothing. There was a color-coded sizing system that helped standardize and speed up the donning (“dressing”) process. Workers selected the correct size by looking at the pocket color. After working, workers had to sort their work clothes in the appropriate bins. The clothes were then whisked away to massive laundry facilities where washing clothes was a grueling task.