Three Mile IslandAuthored by:Dan Daber and Jake Martin
external image Three_Mile_Island_nuclear_power_plant.jpg

Where was it located?
Three Mile Island is located on the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

When did it happen?

March 28, 1979

What Happened?

The accident happened at Unit #2. In Unit 2 there was a cooling malfunction where they couldn't get water in to cool down the reactor. The reactor eventually melt because they couldn't cool it down. Radioactive gases from the reactor leaked from the tank and spread to the environment. The gases didn't effect the community because not a lot was emitted and it has a short half-life.

TMI-Three Mile Island 2
TMI-Three Mile Island 2

Who evacuated?

They had two evacuation plans, the 10-mile evacuation plan and the 20-mile evacuation plan. They advised both pregnant women and small children within 5 miles of the accident to evacuate.

Was there radiation released?

Yes, there was radiation that was released into the atmosphere. There was 40,000 gallons of radioactive waste released and it was directed into the Susquehanna River. The radiation that was released took 1 billion dollars to clean up but their is still some remaining radioactive waste remaining near the plant today.

Three Mile Island
Three Mile Island

What were the effects on the community and the environment?

The effects on the environment were greatly impacted. One impact was that small amounts of radioactive iodine and radioactive gases were released into the atmosphere. These gases didn't just stay in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania where this accident happened, they dispersed into other counties and other states. This caused more problems because then the threat would increase due to the amount of people that were affected. Also, days later scientists tested samples of goat milk from different areas and found that the radioactive iodine and gases spread, this helped scientists to figure out how to stop and prevent this accident happening again.

What is the current status?

The current status of the area of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania is now safe. The citizens voted on what to do with the nuclear power plant. The end result of the vote was to permanently shut down unit 1 which was the section that caused the accident of the radioactive spill.

The 2 generaters on the right, TMI-2 has not been used since the accident

Multiple Choice - OK ~Mr. C.

Work Cited