Three Mile Island
Background:
In 1979, an incident at the Three Mile Island would occur that would lead to American interest in environmental protection. Three Mile Island was a nuclear power plant facility in Pennsylvania, where a partial nuclear reactor core meltdown occurred. As a result, radioactive gases were released into the atmosphere. The immediate health effects on the population were not significant, though the entire incident did have important impacts.
Impacts:
The impacts of the Three Mile Island incident were few but important. Public fears were escalated and led to doubt about nuclear power and the scientists who had advocated for alternative forms of energy, several nuclear power plants were closed, and the licensing of nuclear reactions was imposed, to provide some sort of regulation to a dangerous, yet possibly beneficial industry. As a result of the Three Mile Island incident, nuclear energy was stalled for many years.
Effects:
The incident at Three Mile Island also led to demonstrations that reached around 200,000 people in New York, led to nuclear power plant construction virtually ending in the following decade, and led to the reactor remaining unstable, and was rendered useless later on. Though the Three Mile Island is a rare occurrence, it does illustrate the dangers of nuclear products and the need for strict regulation in the nuclear industries.
Source:
http://www.history.com/topics/three-mile-island
Great post! Do you think that if this incident had not happened people would rely more on nuclear energy today? After doing some more research, it turns out that around 2 million people received an average dose of 1 millirem, less than the average x-ray gives off. However, people began to raise concerns regarding the radiations effects on people, plants, and animals. Because of this public distrust lead to more regulation from the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission).
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/3mile-isle.html
Good job describing the meltdown that occurred at Three Mile Island. I though the public's response to this meltdown was interesting, and I think it adds another example to the growing environmentalism of this period. Just like the Three Mile Island incident prompted regulations, environmental problems led to the birth of the EPA, the Clean Air Act of 1970, and Endangered Species Act of 1973.
ReplyDeleteI find Nuclear Energy an interesting issue as people are often misinformed about it, or hold views that seem contrary to their party's position. For example, I was surprised to hear that Jill Stein is a strong opponent of Nuclear Power, despite her affiliation with the Green Party. Nuclear Power provides a clean alternative to fossil fuels, which despite occasional incidents, can be very beneficial if regulated well.
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