Three Mile Island

Three Mile Island, situated near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania , is home to a nuclear power plant. On Wednesday, March 28, 1979, a cooling malfunction caused part of the core to melt in one of two reactors in the plant. The reactor was destroyed, and within a couple days, radioactive gas was released.

Prompted international headlines

What followed was five days of crisis management for the United States government and Three Mile Island officials. Even before breakfast on March 28, a state of emergency was declared. By that evening, however, the condition of the reactor seemed to be improving. It was not until evening of March 29 that experts realized how serious the damage was to the reactor. It was at that point officials were forced to acknowledge the possibility of a radioactive leak.

By Friday, mass hysteria had set in. Experts in Washington, D.C. , had, until that time, underestimated the damage caused by the meltdown. Unofficial reports of high levels of radioactivity were released, and the governor of Pennsylvania recommended that all pregnant women and children evacuate the area. The public grew concerned about radiation exposure, but the fear was based on rumor. The levels of radioactivity proved to be only minimal.

Fears of nuclear disaster

For various technical and mechanical reasons, no one was quite sure if the damaged reactor would explode. This being the main concern, inspectors suggested to the media that evacuations of people within a tenor twenty-mile radius from Three Mile Island might be necessary. By Saturday, March 31, area residents were in a panicked state.

With the assurance that a possible explosion would be days away, President Jimmy Carter (1924–; served 1977–81) and his wife toured the nuclear plant on Sunday, April 1. Later that day, experts declared that an explosion would not occur. At the same time, they declared the crisis to be over. But the local population continued to live in fear and doubt.

Long-term consequences

When all investigations had been completed and reports filed, the cause of the meltdown was judged to have been caused by two factors: human error and questionable construction of the reactor. The accident at Three Mile Island had a lasting impact. Nuclear power fell out of favor with the American public, and for decades after, it was considered dangerous. Cleanup of the plant spanned three decades and cost about $975 million. In addition, the local economy was hurt as tourists made a point of staying away from the surrounding Pennsylvania communities. Milk processed locally was considered unsafe to drink, so higher prices were paid for milk brought in from outlying regions. Locals had to pay more money for their energy bills because Three Mile Island had supplied about forty percent of the area's power. Without that forty percent, customers had to pay for higher-priced power brought in from the outside.

More than two thousand personal injury claims were filed by people who believed their health was negatively impacted by the accident. All lawsuits were summarily dismissed in 1996 for lack of evidence.