Health effects of the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island
Between March 28 and April 15, 1979 the collective dose resulting from the radioactivity released to the population living within a 50-mile radius of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant was about 2000 person-rems, less than 1% of the annual natural background level. The average dose to a person living within 5 miles of the nuclear plant was less than 10% of annual background radiation. The maximum estimated radiation dose received by any one individual in the general population (excluding the nuclear plant workers) during the accident was 70 mrem. The doses received by the general population as a result of the accident were so small that there will be no detectable additional cases of cancer, developmental abnormalities, or genetic ill-health. Three Three Mile Island nuclear workers received radiation doses of about 3 to 4 rem, exceeding maximum permissible quarterly dose of 3 rem. The major health effect of the accident at Three Mile Island was that of a pronounced demoralizing effect on the general population in the Three Mile Island area, including teenagers and mothers of preschool children and the nuclear plant workers. However, this effect proved transient in all groups studied except the nuclear workers.
- Research Organization:
- California Univ., Berkeley (USA). Lawrence Berkeley Lab.; California Univ., San Francisco (USA). School of Medicine
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 6743308
- Report Number(s):
- LBL-11297; CONF-8005125-1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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