Three Mile Island: prologue or epilogue
This book contains a minute-by-minute account of the opening hours of the Three Mile Island accident. The testimony of technicians in the plant, people in the state emergency system, and federal observers given before the President's Commission, Congress, and the Pennsylvania Select Committee is documented here. Basic information about the theory and structure of a reactor is explained so clearly that the reader grasps the full meaning of the mechanical failure at Three Mile Island. As the development of the accident is chronicled, details of the governmental response are given. Particular attention is focused on communication difficulties between the state and federal government and on jurisdictional disputes among agencies involved in emergency response and public health. The licensing and inspection processes for nuclear reactors is described, and in particular, the history of Three Mile Island's Unit II, to elucidate the weaknesses in the Nuclear Regulatory Commissions's safety procedures. The qualifications and training requirements for nuclear powerplant operators are also examined. Beyond structural and regulatory problems, the author argues that reactors can never be made fail-safe; the assumption that we can envision all possible combinations of multiple system failures is unreasonable. We must then decide whether the benefits of nuclear energy warrant the risks.
- OSTI ID:
- 5533927
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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