ML19308A702

Comments by Tri-County Mental Health Association on Encl News Article. Psychological Distress Issue Should Be Considered Before TMI-1 Reactivation

ML19308A702
Person / Time
Site:	Crane
Issue date:	11/09/1979
From:	Joseph Turner AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
To:	Hendrie J NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
References
NUDOCS 7912040099
Download: ML19308A702 (3)

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TRl-COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION 3 '

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SERVtNG CUMBERLAND, DAUPHIN AND PEGRY COUNTIES 0

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Telephone 233 0893

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?ir. Joseph ?f. Hendrie, Chairman M $

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-w.i Huclear Regulatory Ccc=ission 8

"lashington, D. C. 20555 l

Dear ?lr. Hendrie:

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Enclosed is a copy of an article which appeared in the 7 To: -

Harrisburg PATRIOT on Tuesday, Noverber 6.

As president

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of the local '.! ental Health Association, I find this

_;.cP article mest distressing.

Our Associatien is a citizens' s

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organization, comprised of scre 1,200 members, who include j ' ;;,p "**'

in our purpose the promotion of good mental health and the prevention of mental illness.

le have not discussed

' - m T.:3" nuclear power as an issue within our organization but we

.' " W f have seen decided e=oticnal traumas created by the accident

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which eccur ed at Three l'ile Island.

I am therefore astounded that your staff has said " psychological distress" should not be a consideration on the proposed reactivatien of Unit No.1 at LII.

?lental illness is the nu-ber ene health problem of cur nation.

The President's Co==ission on l! ental Health reported that as many as 155 of our populace need professional treatment due to mental stress. These estimates are for,

the general population, without relation to a specific event.

The recent repcrt of the President's Commission en EE indicated that emotional stress was the biggest problem resulting from the accident. The National Institute of liental Health has also recently provided $375,000 to the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic to do an extensive study of the mental health effects of the accident at RE.

During the past two years our Association has sponsored puppet shows for children from kindergarten through third grade to help instill good mental health concepts in these children. Schools were asked to have the children draw pictures of the puppet show after its presentation so that we could evaluate whether we were acec=plishing cur purpose.

There is one scene in the show in which Ruffles, a rabbit, awakens to find his.inite gym bag floating in the breece which is coming through the open windo"r.

Ruffles believes the gym bag to be a ghost.

Only after being reassured by his father, Euffles turns to his teddy bear and says, 040 0%

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. s Mr. Joseph M. Hendrie-November 9, 1979 Page 2 i

" Daddy says we should not be afraid". In the hundreds of pictures which we i

have received, the teddy bear did not appear until we presented the puppet show at the Newberr/- Elementary School and the Fink Elementary School in Middletown, both of which are within a five-Ir.ils radius of TMI. Even more alaming, two children from the Fink School drew the gym bag " ghost" in the fom of a cooling tower.

In justifying its position the NRC staff has said that neither the Atomic i-l Energy Act of 1954 nor the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 require consideration of " issues such as psychological distress".

I see no statement i

however that these acts forbid such considerations. In a country which has placed such emphasis on the human rights of people during the past three years, I find it difficult to believe that an agency of our federal government would be so callous as to ignore feelings and emotional needs of the people f

who have been affected by this tragic accident.

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f Sincerely, l

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(!.hs. ) Juanita A. Tumer 5

President i

cc: The Hon. Richard S. Schweike The Hon. H. John' Hein::, III l

4 The Hon. Allen E. Ertel The Hon. William F. Goodling John G. Kenemy, Chaiman -- President's Commission on n{I f

j Mrs. Edward Trunk, Member -- President's Commission on T.II t

The Hon. Richard L. Thornburgh f

The Hon. ?tilliam ?l. Scranton, III t

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. s h "It: trio t, iiamsbrt ?t. M11. Pa. 5. ;N7 At TMI-1 Hearings nn D

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J Ov U L/ G C) l Dy RICIIARD ROBERTS A!>o, the Environmental Coahtion on Nuc!0er Staff Writer Power, a s:atewide.mt;.aac: ear aroup u.e The staff of the U.S. Nuclear Re;;ulatory Cheasapeche Energy /,ihai.e. a DaitYmore; ant;-

Commission believes the issue of " psychological nuclear group: Steven C. Sho!!y of Mechr.n:cs-distress" should not be considered in the upcom*

burg; and Marjorie M. Aamodt o! Coatesvi'J,c.

ing hearings on the proposed reactivation of the undamaged Unit I reactor at Three Mile Island.

Also, the state, partic!Pr. ting as n interested In a $6-page brief filed Oct. 31 before the -

party, submitted a brief indicating that ait;:ou;;h it would not present evidence on the issue, it NRC's Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, the staff said that neither the Atomic Energy Act of believes tae National Environmental Podcy Act 1954 nor the National Environmental Policy Act requires the con. sideration of psychcdo;ical dis-

tress, of 1969 require consideration of " issues such as The NRC staff brief said that neitner the psychological distress.'

Atomic Energy Act itself, the act's legislative

, The brief was signed by NRC attorneys Mar-history nor court decisions on the act show thr.t cia E. Mulkey and Stephen H. Lewis.

the public's fear of the operation of a reactor The nuclear regulatory commissioners in an Aug. 9 " Order and Notice of Hearing" said "real

..should or could" be a factor in determinin$

a whether a nuc! car power pl ant shou d h and substantial concern attaches to issues such as Icensed.

psychological distress" because of the "continu-The brief said the provisions of the Nr.tional ing impact" of the March 23 nuclear accident.

Environmental Policy Act on the matter have The commissioners said, however, that they had not determined "whether such issues can been satis.ied by previous enviror. mental liapact legally be relevant" to the hearings on the pro

• statements prepared by the NRC during the origi-nallicensingof the rer.ctor.

posed reactivation of Unit I, and they invited Althoug!; th0 environmental impact state-parties to the proceeding to file briefs on the ments do not discuss psycho;o;ical distres.

matter.

"there was and is no ;e;al requireracat tnat 0.e Several part2cipants in the proceedings have statement contain such an anaylais," the brici raised psychological distress as an issue,includ-

said, ing People Against Nuclear Energy, a Middle-Psycho;ogical distress shouid not be con >fd-town anti-nuclear group; Newberry Twp. Stect-ered now because it was not considereti when the ing Committee on the Three Mile Island Accident, plant llrst was licensed, the brief said. Also, r.n and Three Mile Island Alert Inc., a Harrisburg enforcement action by the NRC to suspend Unit anti-nuclear group, l's operating license coes not in itseif require further study of environmental issues, the brief said.

"The present action, suspension of the opera-tion of the facility does not require c. new deter-mination of whether operation of the faci ity is a

' major federal action significant!y affecting the human environraent' because of the enforcement nature of the ection " the brief said.