At about four in the morning on 28 March 1979 a cooling malfunction caused part of the core of Unit 2 at Three Mile Island, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to melt, the most serious accident in American commercial nuclear power. The radioactive gas released days later was too small to raise doses above background, and no injuries or adverse health effects were recorded. The deeper damage was to confidence: the accident was a major cause of the halt in American nuclear construction through the 1980s and 1990s.
Facts
Milestone Year Milestone Date LocationThree Mile Island, Pennsylvania, United States 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. World Nuclear Association Information Library
World Nuclear AssociationInformation Library, Safety of Plants, Three Mile Island AccidentQuote, Information Library, Safety of Plants, Three Mile Island Accident
The Three Mile Island power station is near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in the USA.
1. World Nuclear Association Information Library
World Nuclear AssociationAssociated With: Chernobyl Disaster, Information Library, Safety of Plants, Three Mile Island Accident, SummaryQuote, Associated With: Chernobyl Disaster, Information Library, Safety of Plants, Three Mile Island Accident, Summary
Public confidence in nuclear energy, particularly in the USA, declined sharply following the Three Mile Island accident. It was a major cause of the decline in nuclear construction through the 1980s and 1990s.
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