CIAO DATE: 09/02

Some Reflections on Three Mile Island

Abstract

On the evening of March 28, 1979 America experienced the first, and worst, nuclear power plant accident in its history. The crisis began when a valve opened, unnoticed, allowing coolant water to escape from the plant’s new Unit 2 reactor. Following a series of technical and human failures, temperatures within the unit rose to more than 5,000 degrees, causing the fueling core to begin melting. During the next tension-packed days, scientists scrambled to prevent a meltdown while public officials, including Governor Dick Thornburgh and President Jimmy Carter, attempted to calm public fears. In spite of these efforts, thousands of residents fled to emergency shelters or left the state, driven by rumors of an imminent CHINA SYNDROME. In the end, only one layer of the containment structure was compromised and the accident never reached the proportions of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. The accident nonetheless resulted in the release of some radiation, the quantity and effects of which are still debated.

The Three Mile Island (TMI) disaster dealt a crippling blow to the nuclear power industry in America. The cleanup cost nearly a billion dollars, one third of which was passed on to rate payers, making nuclear power more expensive than other energy options. The nuclear power industry also had to incur additional costs in order to comply with new and more expensive safety requirements which were established in the wake of the TMI accident. According to a recent report by the Atlantic Council, "The Three Mile Island incident heightened public fears about nuclear accidents." It also heightened public appreciation of the need for citizen involvement in issues which may affect public safety and the environment.

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