ML19207A916
| ML19207A916 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 04/09/1979 |
| From: | Metzenbaum H SENATE |
| To: | NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7908230016 | |
| Download: ML19207A916 (2) | |
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jaas Franz
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April 9, 1979 zz
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R pectfully reft rred to:
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. uclear Regulatory Commissian h.=u.--ce Federal Aviation Administration
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.... e Because of the desire of this office to be
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responsive to all inquiries and cc =unications
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your censideration of the attached is
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Your findings and views, in duplicate form, along with return of the enclosure, will be appreciate '. by
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Y. 7.a{d bf. Metzenbaum
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Attn:
Washington, D. C. 20510 Don Sarff (envelop only)
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Form #
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JUN 0 51979 The Honorable Howard M. Metzenbaum United States Senate
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Dear Senator Metzenbaum:
We are pleased to reply to the concerns of your constituent, Dr. Thomas Franz, noted in his letter to you of April 1,1979.
He was flying over the Three Mile Island power plant in a comercial aircraft on the day of the recent accident and is fearful that proper steps are not being taken to protect the health and safety of airline passengers who fly over that site.
We must apologize for the lateness of this reply; our initial efforts, of course, were with the handling of all imediate problems related to the safe shutdown of the plant, There are two main areas of concern regarding potential radiation exposure to people in ain, raft wnich may have flown close to Three Mile Island (TMI) during the accident. These are:
- 1) the reactor building acts as a source of radiation emitted in all directions much as a light bulb emits light; and 2) there may be a release of radioactivity to the atmosphere, where it can be dispersed both vertically and horizontally.
An aircraft l
could fly through a cloud of such radioactivity and possibly become contaminated.
As regards the first item, a calculation based on the maximum radiation reading taken above the reactor building duMng the course of the acci-dent would result in a radiation exposure, to an airplane in flight (300 miles per hour) at 10,000 ft. altitude, of about 0.2 millirem. The background radiation to which everyone is exposed naturally varies from place to place, and is approximately 100 millirems per year.
,/91LmA Regarding the second item, the dispersal of radioactivity and possible subsequent aircraft contamination, mteorological conditions the day of 3
the accident were such that maximum vertical dispersion of the release f($
that actually took place was about 1500 ft. Thus, an aircraft flying at 10,000 ft, would be well above any detectable concentration (cloud) of O
radioactive material.
Regarding Federal Aviation Administration and/or Trans World Airlines
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f coatrol of airplanes or passengers, it should be noted that in the
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Q response to TMI we had significant contact with the FAA even though L
3 they were not formally notified.
An FAA representative was at the gd Operations Center on at least one occasion and was briefed by the NRC y
i' staff several times. As a result of contacts made by the Department of 17 Y
Enercy aerial surveillance contractor on March 28. the FAA restricted a r'
large area around Three Mile Isl and in order ;o allow the helicopters to
'"'My nonitoring missions-at-any-time-without-interference -
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In addition, on at least one occasion. the Harrisburg International
,L Airport was closed to facilitate air transport operations related to Three Mile Island.
I-I hope that the above information es responsive to your needs, Sincerely, Distribution 4,AETitral Files p3ned) T. A.W MPA Reading N
LOEB Reading
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ee V. Gossick EDO cy Executive Director for Operations bec:
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