Key Takeaways
- The Three-Mile Island Incident was a nuclear power plant that melted down in Middletown, PA in 1979.
- The accident changed the perception of nuclear energy in the United States, stopping future projects.
- Nuclear plant projects began to reappear in 2007, with the hope to reduce the U.S.'s dependence on oil.
What was the impact of the Three Mile Island?
The Three Mile Island accident was a meltdown at a nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania. It occurred on March 28, 1979. Officially, it caused no deaths. That added a lot of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than nuclear energy would have.
Is Three Mile Island still dangerous?
Technically Three Mile Island is still radioactive today but its levels of radiation are not believed to be dangerous to humans or nature, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Mitchell Rogovin of the NRC's Special Inquiry Group in his ...
What caused the Three Mile Island accident?
Three Mile Island is the site of a nuclear power plant in south central Pennsylvania. In March 1979, a series of mechanical and human errors at the plant caused the worst commercial nuclear accident in U.S. history, resulting in a partial meltdown that released dangerous radioactive gasses into the atmosphere.
What is the significance of the Three Mile Island accident?
[2] According to the IAEA, the Three Mile Island accident was a significant deterrent and turning point in global development of nuclear power; Following the incident, the number of reactors under construction decreased every year for nearly two decades.
What changed after Three Mile Island?
Three Mile Island led to the establishment of the Atlanta-based Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), the industry's own 'policing' group, and the formation of what is now the Nuclear Energy Institute to provide a unified industry approach to generic nuclear regulatory issues, and interaction with the NRC and ...
What happened at Three Mile Island and why it is significant?
At 4 a.m. on March 28, 1979, the worst accident in the history of the U.S. nuclear power industry begins when a pressure valve in the Unit-2 reactor at Three Mile Island fails to close.
What were some of the health effects from the explosion?
Smoke inhalation. Trauma and burns due to the force and heat of the blast. Flying debris. Worsening of pre-existing medical conditions as a result of acute physiological or psychological stress.
Who was blamed for the Three Mile Island accident?
Federal Response Image from Knowledge Management Portal for the Three Mile Island Unit 2 Accident of 1979. United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Blame was placed all around: on Met-Ed, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, control room operators, and many others.
What happened at Three Mile Island quizlet?
In 1979 at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in USA a cooling malfunction caused part of the core to melt in the # 2 reactor. The TMI-2 reactor was destroyed. Some radioactive gas was released a couple of days after the accident, but not enough to cause any dose above background levels to local residents.
What would have happened if Three Mile Island exploded?
As the Netflix docuseries Meltdown: Three Mile Island recounts, Unit 2 came less than half an hour from fully melting down – a disaster scenario that would have sickened hundreds of thousands in the surrounding area. Two days after the accident, an explosive bubble of hydrogen gas was found in the reactor.
What was a result of the accident at Three Mile Island apex?
As a result of the TMI 2 accident, 700,000 gallons of radioactive cooling water ended up in the basement of the reactor building and in tanks in the auxiliary building, contaminating them.
Were there any deaths at Three Mile Island?
The accident at the Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) nuclear power plant near Middletown, Pennsylvania, on March 28, 1979, was the most serious in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant operating history(1), even though it led to no deaths or injuries to plant workers or members of the nearby community.
What were the effects of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident?
The American Nuclear Society concluded that average local radiation exposure was equivalent to a chest X-ray, and maximum local exposure equivalent to less than a year's background radiation. The U.S. BEIR report on the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation states that " [t]he collective dose equivalent resulting from the radioactivity released in the Three Mile Island accident was so low that the estimated number of excess cancer cases to be expected, if any were to occur, would be negligible and undetectable." A variety of epidemiology studies have concluded that the accident has had no observable long term health effects. One dissenting study is "A reevaluation of cancer incidence near the Three Mile Island nuclear plant" by Dr. Steven Wing of the University of North Carolina. In this study, Dr. Wing and his colleagues argue that earlier findings had "logical and methodological problems" and conclude that "cancer incidence, specifically lung cancer and leukemia, increased following the TMI accident in areas estimated to have been in the pathway of radioactive plumes than in other areas." Other dissenting opinions can be found in the Radiation and Public Health Project, whose leader, Joseph Mangano, has questioned the safety of nuclear power since 1985.
When did the cancer rate at Three Mile Island peak?
The study found that cancer rates near the Three Mile Island plant peaked in 1982-3, but their mathematical model did not account for the observed increase in cancer rates, since they argued that latency periods for cancer are much longer than three years.
Did TMI 2 cause local deaths?
In their final 1981 report, however, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, examining death rates within the 10-mile area around TMI for the 6 months after the accident, said that the TMI-2 accident did not cause local deaths of infants or fetuses. Scientific work continued in the 1980s, but focused heavily on the mental health effects due ...
Has the Three Mile Island nuclear plant had any long term effects?
A variety of epidemiology studies have concluded that the accident has had no observable long term health effects. One dissenting study is "A reevaluation of cancer incidence near the Three Mile Island nuclear plant" by Dr. Steven Wing of the University of North Carolina. In this study, Dr. Wing and his colleagues argue ...
Is TMI a causal link?
The research notes that "These findings, however, do not provide a causal link to the TMI accident." According to Joseph Mangano (who is a member of The Radiation and Public Health Project, an organization with little credibility amongst epidemiologists,) three large gaps in the literature include: no study has focused on infant mortality data, or on data from outside the 10-mile zone, or on radioisotopes other than iodine, krypton, and xenon.
What was the significance of the Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown?
The Three Mile Island nuclear reactor meltdown is a pivotal event in the history of America’s use of nuclear power. The accident was rated 5 on the 7-point International Nuclear Event Scale. It was given the designation of an ‘accident with wider consequences’. It changed public opinion about nuclear power in the US, brought about new safety regulations, and obstructed the construction of new nuclear energy plants in the US.
When did the Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown happen?
The Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown occurred on the morning of March 28, 1979. The Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor, named after its location, is situated in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania. The island is located in the Susquehanna River. It is a pressurized water reactor. At the time of the accident, Unit 2 on the plant was working ...
What was the costliest nuclear accident in the Western Hemisphere?
The Three Mile Island nuclear disaster was the costliest nuclear accident in the Western Hemisphere. This Historyplex post explains the causes for this tragedy and its effects. The Three Mile Island nuclear disaster was the costliest nuclear accident in the Western Hemisphere. This Historyplex post explains the causes for this tragedy ...
Who panned the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor?
The movie had been universally panned by nuclear energy specialists, which further worsened public relations of the nuclear energy industry when the accident occurred. Jane Fonda, who starred in the movie, started an anti-nuclear-energy campaign. The campaign was opposed by reputed scientist, Edward Teller. The Three Mile Island nuclear reactor ...
How many curies of radioactive iodine were released in the US?
The advised isolation radius was initially set at 5 miles, but was extended to 20, on March 30. About 13 to 17 curies of radioactive iodine, which is a carcinogen, were released.
What happened after the Three Mile Island accident?
Required design changes after the Three Mile Island accident resulted in higher costs and longer construction times for new nuclear plants. As a result, construction of nuclear reactors steeply declined. No nuclear plants started after 1974 have been completed in the United States.
Where is Three Mile Island?
Contents. Three Mile Island is the site of a nuclear power plant in south central Pennsylvania. In March 1979, a series of mechanical and human errors at the plant caused the worst commercial nuclear accident in U.S. history, resulting in a partial meltdown that released dangerous radioactive gasses into the atmosphere.
How did the nuclear fuel melt?
The nuclear fuel began to melt through its metal container— about half the reactor core melted. Trace amounts of radioactive gasses escaped into the surrounding community as a geyser of steam erupted from the top of the plant.
What caused the meltdown of the Unit 2 reactor?
In the early morning hours of March 28, 1979, a mechanical or electric failure set off an unlikely series of events that led to a partial meltdown at the Unit 2 reactor. Water pumps that helped to cool the radioactive fuel in the reactor core malfunctioned.
What was the movie about the nuclear meltdown?
A thriller film, called The China Syndrome, hit theaters in March of 1979. The film, starring Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon and Michael Douglas, dealt with the aftermath of a fictional nuclear meltdown at a reactor outside of Los Angeles.
How many people were exposed to radiation from the TMI accident?
An estimated two million people were exposed to small amounts of radiation as a result of the TMI accident. There are no known health impacts. Several government agencies and independent groups conducted studies, but no adverse effects could be found to correlate to these exposures.
When was the Three Mile Island nuclear plant built?
Construction of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant began in 1968, in Londonderry Township, Pennsylvania, on a small island in the Susquehanna River just south of the state capital in Harrisburg. Construction ended in 1978 when the second of two nuclear reactors at the site came online to produce electricity.
Overview
The domino effects of the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear accident are widely agreed to be very low by scientists in the relevant fields. The American Nuclear Society concluded that average local radiation exposure was equivalent to a chest X-ray and maximum local exposure equivalent to less than a year's background radiation. The U.S. BEIR report on the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation states that "the collective dose equivalent resulting from the radioactivity released in t…
Initial investigations
In the aftermath of the accident, the investigations focused on the amounts of radioactivity released by the accident. American Nuclear Society explained using the official radioactivity emission figures that "the average radiation dose to people living within ten miles of the plant was eight millirem, and no more than 100 millirem to any single individual. Eight millirem is about equal to a chest X-ray, and 100 millirem is about a third of the average background level of radiation re…
Columbia epidemiological study
In 1990-1 a Columbia University team, led by Maureen Hatch, carried out the first epidemiological study on local death rates before and after the accident, for the period 1975-1985, for the 10-mile area around TMI. Assigning fallout impact based on winds on the morning of March 28, 1979, the study found no link between fallout and cancer risk. The study found that cancer rates near the Three Mile Island plant peaked in 1982-3, but their mathematical model did not account for the o…
Further studies
On the recommendation of the Columbia team, the TMI Public Health Fund followed up its work with a longitudinal study. The 2000-3 University of Pittsburgh study compared post-TMI death rates in different parts of the local area, again using the wind direction on the morning of 28 March to assign fallout impact, In contrast to the Columbia study, which estimated exposure in 69 areas, the Pittsburgh study drew on the TMI Population Registry, compiled by the Pennsylvania Depart…
The Chinese Connection
Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor Accident
- The Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown occurred on the morning of March 28, 1979. The Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor, named after its location, is situated in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania. The island is located in the Susquehanna River. It is a pressurized water reactor. At the time of the accident, Unit 2 on the plant was working at 97% capacity, while Unit 1 was being refueled a…
Sequence of The Accident
- ➙ The chain of incidents leading to the meltdown started at 4 am in the non-nuclear assembly in Unit 2, while workers were cleaning one of the condensate polishers. The condensate polishers filter, or polish the condensed water. The pumps feeding water to the condensers stopped, and a valve that allowed the water to bypass the condensate polishers failed to open. The reasons beh…
Effects
- ➙ The steam, aided by the heat, reacted with the nuclear fuel’s zirconium cladding and destroyed the sheath. The heat generated by the exothermic reaction further damaged the nuclear fuel, and released radioactive materials into the coolant flow. About half the uranium fuel in the reactor core melted, but this wasn’t known until five yeas later, wh...
Epidemiology
- ➙ Samples of the soil, water, cow milk etc., taken from the surrounding area revealed that there was a barely noticeable increase in the number of radionuclides. The average amount of radiation received by the citizens around the area was around 8 millirems, and the maximum possible amount received by an individual was estimated to be 100 millirems. The average amount is co…
Background
Cause
Official Communications
Public Outcry
Effect on Nuclear Power Systems
- The Three Mile Incident occurred at a unique time in US Energy policy. During the 1970s, more than one hundred nuclear power plants were ordered, partially in response to the 1973 oil crisis. However, after the TMI accident, more than 51 of these were cancelled.
Global Nuclear Power Use
Cleanup and Health Effects
References