Three Mile Island Effects
HIE 289A
The Impact of Science and Technology on Society and the Environment
Royal Military College of Canada
Final Paper
Three Mile Island: The immediate effect of a Nuclear Accident on the developing Nuclear
Power Industry within the United States.
Submitted by: 25195 OCdt S.W. Lemna
Instructor: Major Bertram Frandsen
Date: 28 Nov 2011
The use of Nuclear Power has always been a controversial subject, but during the technology’s introduction and slow growth into mainstream power generation, the scrutiny placed upon the potential dangers has been far more amplified than that of today. From the inception of nuclear power in the early 1950’s, public and federal perception of the technology was always shadowed with a grim prediction …show more content…
Even if the upper amount (25 millirem) was released, this would have only increased the annual average of radiation by five percent, which is a small enough factor to avoid significant concern. To further illustrate this point, all personal injury claims filed against
Met-Ed (the owners of the TMI plant) in the immediate years following the meltdown were unsuccessful, as the plaintiffs could not conclusively prove that the TMI-2 incident had released enough radiation to cause any adverse injuries.33 Despite the insignificant impact that the TMI-2 meltdown ultimately had, this is not how the public perceived the incident. The public, as explained above, only understood a mixture of a fictitious film describing the horrors of a nuclear meltdown and the perception of the destructiveness of nuclear power. To capitalize on this point, a survey conducted in April of 1979 showed that 75 percent of the population believed that the release of radioactive materials from a nuclear power plant was a major concern …show more content…
51
Todd H. Otis, A Review Of Nuclear Energy in the United States: Hidden Power, (New York, NY: Praeger Publishers,
1981), 153.
46
From the facets examined above, it is easy to see that the TMI-2 reactor meltdown had an adverse effect on the developing nuclear power industry in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.
Existing and new nuclear plants were subject to the redesigning of control room stations and new, stricter regulation on the training and safety of nuclear power operators and the plants themselves. The public, following the accident, found developed a reluctance and mistrust of nuclear power, despite the fact that the incident had not caused any significant damage or sickness at the time. Lastly, the industry saw a reduction in the application of new nuclear generating stations: existing plans in development were scrapped and even facilities with significant investments were cancelled. The Three Mile Island accident undoubtedly left a black mark on the nuclear power industry and tarnished its young reputation, a consequence that it had to endure for at least the immediate future.
Bibliography
1. Gunn, Angus M. Unnatural Disasters. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press,
The Impact of Science and Technology on Society and the Environment
Royal Military College of Canada
Final Paper
Three Mile Island: The immediate effect of a Nuclear Accident on the developing Nuclear
Power Industry within the United States.
Submitted by: 25195 OCdt S.W. Lemna
Instructor: Major Bertram Frandsen
Date: 28 Nov 2011
The use of Nuclear Power has always been a controversial subject, but during the technology’s introduction and slow growth into mainstream power generation, the scrutiny placed upon the potential dangers has been far more amplified than that of today. From the inception of nuclear power in the early 1950’s, public and federal perception of the technology was always shadowed with a grim prediction …show more content…
Even if the upper amount (25 millirem) was released, this would have only increased the annual average of radiation by five percent, which is a small enough factor to avoid significant concern. To further illustrate this point, all personal injury claims filed against
Met-Ed (the owners of the TMI plant) in the immediate years following the meltdown were unsuccessful, as the plaintiffs could not conclusively prove that the TMI-2 incident had released enough radiation to cause any adverse injuries.33 Despite the insignificant impact that the TMI-2 meltdown ultimately had, this is not how the public perceived the incident. The public, as explained above, only understood a mixture of a fictitious film describing the horrors of a nuclear meltdown and the perception of the destructiveness of nuclear power. To capitalize on this point, a survey conducted in April of 1979 showed that 75 percent of the population believed that the release of radioactive materials from a nuclear power plant was a major concern …show more content…
51
Todd H. Otis, A Review Of Nuclear Energy in the United States: Hidden Power, (New York, NY: Praeger Publishers,
1981), 153.
46
From the facets examined above, it is easy to see that the TMI-2 reactor meltdown had an adverse effect on the developing nuclear power industry in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.
Existing and new nuclear plants were subject to the redesigning of control room stations and new, stricter regulation on the training and safety of nuclear power operators and the plants themselves. The public, following the accident, found developed a reluctance and mistrust of nuclear power, despite the fact that the incident had not caused any significant damage or sickness at the time. Lastly, the industry saw a reduction in the application of new nuclear generating stations: existing plans in development were scrapped and even facilities with significant investments were cancelled. The Three Mile Island accident undoubtedly left a black mark on the nuclear power industry and tarnished its young reputation, a consequence that it had to endure for at least the immediate future.
Bibliography
1. Gunn, Angus M. Unnatural Disasters. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press,