ML19322C306

Crisis:Tmi

ML19322C306
Person / Time
Site:	Crane
Issue date:	04/03/1979
From:	Balz D, Benjamin M, Stern L WASHINGTON POST
To:
References
TASK-TF, TASK-TMR PR-790403, NUDOCS 8001160829
Download: ML19322C306 (27)

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1 These articles were produced by a Washington Post wrmng and editing hxxn composed of Lour-ence Stern, Daniel J. Bolz, Mihon R. Denpmin, Poul Brinkley-Rogers, Warren Brown, Victor Cohn, Hugh Craig, Jane Freundel, Joel R. Gor-i reou, Peter A. Mosley, Robin Mezsoly, Peter Mil-ius, Thomas O'Toole, Bill Peterson, Woher Pinces, Wendy C. Ross, Mor1in Schrom, Word Sindair, J.P. Smith, T.R. Reid, Bill Richards and Edward Wolsh. Washingtom Post poll by Barry Sussmen Reprint designed W Rchin Joreoux; layotn by Suson Clipper. Prwuction work by Bill Hensel.

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~7 A sensor "reahzing" that the steam generator no longer was receivmg a

4' water-immediately shut down the

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plant's giant turbine. With electronic L

prescience the reactor sensed that the g

A switch was automatically thrown.

Phf Fe kh,h from the plant a turbme buildmg at a and a powerful jet of steam shot up l

i pressure of 1.000 pounds per square j

inch.

That was the noise that awakened l

7 f

Holly Garnish.

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Only three to six seconds had passed from the start of the incident when yet another event occurred: a rehef The first warning that something reactor containment buildmg. Inside, a valve automatically opened to blow off was wrong came when a double-tone horseshoe-shaped panel stretches 40 superheated. radioactive water within claxon blast went off in the control feet ak

hree walls hned with dials, the containment structure.

room gauges. 41.200 marning lights color.

No more than six seconds later the f

Untd then, the only sound intruding coded reu and green.

reactor " scrammed." the control rods on the Susquehanna River in the early This was the scene inside the control that stop the cham reaction inside the l

morning hours was the deep hum of room when, shortly before 4 a.m.,

reactor vessel automatically dropped I

the big bank of turbmes hooked up on something went wrong.

into place among the fuel rods in ef-I the south end of Three Mile Island Nu-G feet, the reactor was shut down. Fis-l clear Reactor No. 2.

Across the Susquehanna the nearest sioning inside the uranium fuel rods l

Af ter three months on the hne. No. 2 house La the reactor belongs to Holly immediately began to slow dow n.

seemed at last to have shaken out its and John Garnish. Their red brick The pressure inside the reactor ves.

kinks.

ranch house sits just across Route 441 sel than began to fall. This should have Smce it began operations just one from the plant on the corner of been the signal for the open rehef day before the end of 1978. No. 2 had Meadow Lane. Like most of their valve to close. Instead,it stayed open, proved to be a contmuing source of neighbors, the Garnishes slept in the apparently stuck. Pressurtzed steam frustration. By startmg up before the shadow of the giant coohng towers went right on pouring out of the reac.

yearend. the plant quahfied its ou ners across the river.

tor.

for as much as $40 milhon in federal But that morning. Holly Garmsh The instant the mam pumps failed.

tax credits and write. offs. In the ensu-awoke with a start. Outside, in the di-three iuxthary coolant pumps kicked ing days of January,it had been shut rectiors of the plant, a loud roar came on. Unhappily, valves that should have down for a tw & week interval u hile en-from Three Mile Island.

been open in the auxihar) feed. water gineers from the Metropohtan Edison

" Picture the biggest Jet at an airport system were closed, locking out the Co., operators of the reactor down-and the noise it makes" she recalled.

water the pumps were trying to drive.

river from Harrisburg. Pa.. traced "That's what I heard. It shook the win.

As water was lost, the temperatures sources of leaks in the pipmg and dows, the w hole house."

inside the reactor began to soar. Read-pump system.

Her husband did not awaken. She ings chmhed 30 degrees in less than looked at the alarm clock on the night three seconds.

But s the morning of March 28 the table. It read 3 53 a m. "I rerrember be.

In the control room. " bells were 880megaw att plant w as gome full cause I got up and put the dog out.

ringing. lights were flashmg. and blast. Large plumes of water vapor side." she said.

every body was grabbmg and scratch-drifted from the hps of its two 374 foot G

ing." said one Nuclear Regulatory j

cooling tou ers into the chilly air Over on the island, Americts worst Commission source.

j Encased in thick concrete walls and nuclear accident was taking form in Ths.hift supervisor, sittmg in a behmd bullet proof windows and rein.

quick. inexorable steps glass-walled office facmg the console, forced steel doors, the regular four' A pump that sends hot water to the bolted out onto the mam floor and man crew of control room operators steam generator failed for reasons still took charge.

w as sitting the watch.

unexplained. Instantaneously, a sec-The pressure. means hile, coatinued The control room is a vision from ond pump feedmg coolmg w ater to the to plunge. causmg more water in the science fiction. It sits under the reactor shut down. It had been fed reactor vessel to flash into steam and shadow of the 194 foot high domed water from the first pump.

escape through the open rehef valve.

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nmma u.a une Centrol room at nree Mlle Islaid eith horseshoeshaped panel 40 feet long displaying 120e warning lights celer coded in red and green.

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At that point-if r11 systrms had "It would have been a help if they up to 750 degrees, then began printing been workmg properly-what had had recognized that they ought to cut question marks for much of the next been an unusual but not yet serious oc-off that containment sump pump," an eleven hours.

currence automatically would have NRC source sud. "It should have oc-Nobody in the plant had any idea been brought under control curred to them: let's not pump it out that the reactor core had become un-Afterward Nuclear Regulatory Com-to the auxilary buildmg. let s just covered-but uncovered it was The mission officials singled out the valve leave it in the containment untd we water level had dropped at least four problem as a key one during daily know s hat's gomg on '"

feet beDw the top of the core, uncov-briefings later with the press 9athered Eight minutes after the start, an ering onethird of the fuel rods. The in the nearby Middletown borough operator in the control room must stainless steel ciaddmg icoatingt on the llall. "There would have been an en-have realtred the auxiliary coolmg sys-rods had begun to crumble, creatmg tirely different outcome if they (the tem hadn't uorked because he threw rubble at the top of the core.

pumpd had been operational, as they the switch he should have throwa lhghly radioactive fission products should have be?n." said liarold R. Den-eight minutes eariner to unlock the now began to pour from fuel rods that ton.NRC's chief of reactor operations.

closed valves in the feedwater ime, were rupturing in the matter of Apparently the valves were ched e rning on the system.

minutes. The cladding on no fewer for routine maintenance. in violatam In three more minutes, an operator than 20.0t0 of the 36.000 rods is be-of one of the most stringent rules that restarted the emergency core coolme heved to have been oxidized, plungmg the Nuclear Regulatory Commission system that had been mistakenly radioactistty into the reactor coolant.

has. The rule states simply that auxil-turned off. For the next 50 mmutes.

The only thmg prosidmg coolmg to lary feed pumps can never all be down the accident appeared to have dimm-the fuel rods for the next 11 hours1.273148e-4 days <br />0.00306 hours <br />1.818783e-5 weeks <br />4.1855e-6 months <br /> was for maintenance while the reactor is ished in size. Reactor pressure stopped the steam flashmg out of what httle running.

falhng. The water levelinside the reac-water stayed in the bottom of the reac-

"If you take all of these pumps out at tor vessel was still sufficient to cover tot vessel.

Once, even for a hmited time " said an the tops of the 36.000 fuel rods. Though Meanwhile, the number of persons NRC source, "you're supposed to hit some fuel rods were probably perfo.

in the controt room eentmued to grow.

the down button and shut the reactor rated by thermal shock at the start of Executives began arriving in a steady down in a hell of a hurry."

the accident, they still had not suff-stream in the chilly predawn to join With no fresh cold water reaching cred any heavy damage.

the supermtendent of operations, w ho the steam generator and the reactor, "The core had pretty much been arrived 20 minutes after the mctdent the operators on the control room-covered up to that point." a Babcock &

started, whether they realized it or not-sere Wticox soerce said "While things "An hour or two after 11 happened, in real trouble.

weren't real good. things were correc-the place was swarmme with white The steam generator had begun to table "

hats." said a control room operator boil dry, taking even more water out Then, the inexphcable happened who had been on dut) at neighborms of the cooling system. In the reactor again.

Three Mde !sland Plant No 1. "They vessel, even though the chain reaction Though the coohng pumps had come were lookmg the thing over, and tr)-

had been essentially halted. heat was back on, they were not running ir:g to figure out u hat to do "

still being generated as fission wound smoothly. In fact, they had begun to vi-As first hght began tc break over down. Temperatures in the reactor brate as they stratned to drive coolmg Three Mile Island. it was becomme in-continued to climb.

water to a reactor whose pressure had creasingly clear to the worried offi-Pressures continued to fall in the f allen so dramatically.

cials that they had a serious threat of reactor because the rehef valve was An operator turned off four coohng radiation leakage.

still stuck open "The flow through pumps, two at I bour 15 minutes and Shortly before 7 a m. an emergency that valve could have been terminated two more at I bour 40 mmute* into the siren began to wall-the signal that by pressing the right button in the accident. The NRC still has no explana.

workers at the Three Mde Island plant control room," said a source at Bab-tion for these moves, though one ex-should evacuate certain critical areas cock & Wilcox Co, builder of the reac-planation could have been concern A number of workers dashed for tor. "That was ultimately done but it that the pumps were straming so hard their cars, hopmg to get across the w as done 32 minutes later "

they were about to fall.

bridge to the mainland before they Two minutes into the accident, the "The operators obviously were wor-would be confined to the island as a pressure fell to 1,G10 pounds per ried about the pumps damaging them.

precautionary measure. Two cars square inch, automatically turning on selves," a Babcock & Wilcox source made it before the gate slammed.

the plant's emergency core cooling sys-said. -but turning them off was a bad At 702 company offntals notified tem. Utere was still time to prevent idea."

the Dauphm County civti Jafense of-these hitshaps from mushroommg into When the final twa pumps were fice that they had declared a site emer-a major accident.

stoppa! tre water levelin the reactor gency.

For still unexplatned reasons, an vessel plunged again. uncovering the The situation however, was esen operator in the control room turned core and fuel rods for the first time.

worse than they thought.

off the two pumps that drive the emer-Heat in the reactor began building up Back in the control room. less than gency coolmg system. He shut down rapidly, Within 14 minutes the temper-20 mmutes later, an alarm sotmded An one pump 4 minutes 30 seconds into ature at the top of the reactor had automatic detector in the contam.

the accident and the second pump six cumbed right off the scale.

ment. set to activate when the radta.

minutes later In the control room. the computer tion les ei reaches 8 rems. had gone of f.

The prevaihng theory at the NRC monitoring the temperatures in the Three MJe Isl.nd now had become a and Babcock & Wilcox is that he was dome of the reactor printed readmgs general emergency e looking at only one of two gauges he He thought he saw fluid rising in the tkITTI birIUlllHi.lry Thne Mil'e bluul'Niicimr PLmt W "#

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should have checked pressurtzer, suggesting that the reac-7 D AUPWN COUNTYM LEBA COUNTY

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tor vessel was still filhng with the PERM COUNTY water.

n So he thinks,'Ah. ha. Tve got the sys-4ebanon g

tem full of water; any more I pump in there is just going to sptil en the floor'"

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'S H'*r an NRC source said. " Big mistake!"

Nw Cu*

Hommelsd What was restly happening was that co;p wa

,5wan Qg pressure was still plungmg, water was con ico.n '

still flashing into steam, and water mechamber three We eng g#

levels inside the reactor vessel were in MBERlkND Nu h

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'Uwr dQ' k

fact dropping-

) COUNTY r

Much of that water was still spurting g I(

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i out of the reactor vessel through the m.

I LANCAsitt COUNTY open pressure valve into the contam_

n ment.

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Only 7% minutes after the start of y

g A mbio the accident, the radboactive water on 4g Te q /,h> \\ $

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'Mailmdie the floor of the containment buildmg was two feet deep. The buildmg's

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Yo4 sump pumps at this point automati-cally comes on, rushing the water out y% Eon Bee ' ~

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tanks in the auxiliary building.

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~!his development would come back ADAM 5 COUNTY g

ca to haunt the operators in the days

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I ahead.

L-a m. % n.m mn w.e t

EllAPHR2 4

How the Crisis Was Manaaed b

When word of the trouble at She remembers mostly that it was all mission, a group of technicians gath-Three Mde Island first filtered out of very incomplete. A tur'bme had trip.

ered by 8 a m and estabhshed a < resis the plant, the institutions of crists ped. partialloss of coolant. question of response center. Their ~w was de-management lurched slowly mto ma possible of fsite release of radiation.

tached. as was appropriate for profes.

tion.

Matthews hung up the phones and sionals Kesin J. Molloy. Dauphin County immediately w rote a short memo.--a "We had an open hne to the control civil defense director, was boilmg few paragraphs-to alert her hoss.

room lat Three Mile islandiin about 30 water for coffee in his home at llum-Zbigmew Brzermski. about what was minutes," said Thomas Elsasser, the meistown when the first call came happening. The memo was taken from NRC state liasion officer "There was from a dtspatcher warnmg of a " bite her third floor office across the drise.

no tension or apprehension at that emergenc)" at the nuclear power way to the White llouse. Brzezinski im.

point.

plant The time was 702 a m -more me'diately took it in to brief President "We knew that smce they had got than three bours after the first sign of Carter. It was about 10 a m. Wednes-the radiation alarm there uas some-trouble day. "It looked hke things were under thmg wrong there. But we knew the That same minute Clarence Deller of control." %1atthews recalled.

plant uas shut down. and there had the state's Eriercency Management Evacuation was on the minds of been no release of radioactnity."

Agency logged in a call from a Metro-state officials early in the day. But no At 8 45 a m six NRC inspectors pded politan Edison shift super isor also one u as prepared to recommend it.

Into the offace's emergency vehicle, a warrag of an emergency at Three Dauphin County had experienced red station wagon with flashmg u f Mile Island emergencies before. In 1972 and 1975 hghts. and began a highspeed run Molloy and Deller began spreadmg the Susquehanna Riser had flooded.

down the Pennsylvama Turnpike to the alarm through a network of local On both occasions Kevin MolloyN of.

Ilarrisburg, fl6 miles aw ay.

civil defense officials, mayors and fice w as on alert in Bethesda, chief of reactor opera-state authorities "My first reaction But the severity of what was hap-tions Denton mas confuseo by the frag-was Do we hase to esacuate?" Mollo) penmg at Three Mile Island was slow mentary information trickhng in from recalled to penetrate. For much of the citizens the field, particularly the reports of ra-It uas not untd to a m that Dr. liar-and officialdom of the surrounding dioactivity. lie was deeply worried by old Denton. the chief of reactor opera-commumties the plant had been ac.

the pmstbihty of reactor fuel damage tions for the Nuclear Regulatory Com-cepted as an economic boon Word of "We neser had any incident of fuel mission. was called out of a meetmg at earher malfunctions at the plant had oserheating in a lightwater reactor the agency's Bethesda headquarters to been carefully contamed and the pre.

plant before" he said afterward Fuel he informed that a "relatively serious vailmg local view was that the benefits damage raised the specter of a reactor sort of esent" had occurred at Three far outwetghed the posuble dangers "meltdow n "

Mile Island Nonetheless. Robert Reid. the mas or Tw o additional carloads of NRC offe Yet at 7.20 a m. Met Ed official Duk of Middletown. Just three mtbs fr'om cials soon left Bethesda and raced Bensel told Molloy's spat (her that a the plant. became an increasingly northsard ac ross the rollmg Maryland l

" general" emergene) was under wa).

angry man from the moment he first and Penns>lvania countryside to Imk i

That meant higger trouble than the m-got word of the trouble-while he was up with the team from the King of stial alert but not necessarily enough tea (hing a high school gosernment Prussia of fice to evacuate residents (lass When the NRC inspectors conver.

But b) 73) a m a review of evacua-Reid tried but was unable to reat h ged on the scene the capricious forces tion procedures was already heme pro officiak of Metropohtan Edison in of tnhnolog) had another surprise posed by the state casil defense Readmg until li a m When he fmally Three Mile bland phones were jam-agency. *We told them not to begin an reat hed them there u as no mention o'f med evacuation until they were instructed radiation danger. Furthermore Reid Two different telephone compantes.

to do so by this office" said agency had httle idea of how he would deal Pennsylvama Bell and United Tel spokesman John Comey.

with the challenge of a largescale evac.

ept anc. serted the opposite shores of (In a February 4.1974 letter Met Ed oation the Susquehanna River. Three Mde Is-wrote Middletown borough officials Short'y after he became mayor 18 land is served by both companies that "even the unrst possible accident months ago. Reid had decided the city

'There was just a terrible communi-

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postulated by the AECl Atomic Energy needed a disaster evacuation plan lie cations problem." Denton said "All the Commission) would not require evacu-assigned the task to Middletown ch11 phone imes were jammed up there.

ation of the borough of defenst director Donald iButchs Ryan.

You got only hits and pieces."

Middletown...it can be seen that it is On March 28. the date of the acc 41, As the day progressed, the surprises unnecessary to have specific evacua-the ptan was still in draf ting stagcr were increasingly ommous. Officials tion routes identified.."

llad an evacuation order come from watched with growing concern the re-At about 8 a m. retired Army colonel the state capital at Harrisburg. Middle.

ports tricklmg into the NRC response Oren Henderson, one of the senior mil.

town would have had to improvtse center of high radiation levels in the stary officers in the M>lat operation m IAt a press conference Wednesday plant's auxihary buildmg.

South Vietnam more than a decade nicht in llarrisburg Lt. Gov. Wilham Denton. ironically, had packed his earlier, was on the phone to Gov. Rich W. Scranton 111 assured: "W-do not hags the previous day for a trip to ard Thornburgh llenderson. the tap expect thare to be any kmd of neces.

phoenix and then to sign off on the official in the state's risil defense ap-sity for evacuation.

"i safet) systems for a controsersts.1 new paratus. acknowledged afterward that The adjoir.fria town of Royalton-nuclear plant in Cahfernia It was a he didn't know what to do or what to the closest comic."nity ;o the nuclear trip he neser made.

recommend at that point. "We lacked plant-was equally unprepared. Two Wednesday mght Denton and his so much knowledge about what was days after the accident, its 74yearold task force of NRC officials felt thmgs gomg on." he said.

mayor, Charles B Erisman, still had were under control. The levels of ra Shortly after 9 a m. Wednesday, the not been told by Met Ed that there w as diation that were being momtored.

calls came in to the Old Executive Of-a problem on Three Mile Island they thought, corresponded to damage fice Budding in Washington. D C., al-

"About 75 percent of our people are affectmg about I percent of the fuelin most simultaneously and Jessica Tuch-retired and half of them hate no way the reactor-a relatively low les el.

man Matthews fielded them in such out." Erasman said of the town's 1.410 "We had a rough sequence of thmgs rapid fire order that now she can't residents.

that had gone wrong. we thought. We remember w hich one came first Reid, nonetheless. expressed the pre.

didn't know what the cause was. I One was from the situation room in vaihng attitude of charitable coexist.

thought it had been a small lossef.

the basement of the West Wing of the ence with the nuclear gente of Three coolant accident," Denton sud.

White flouw. The other was from NRC Mile Island. "You know," he said.

Despite the feeling that thmgs uere headquarters.

pomting out of his office toward the substantially in hand. Denton decided They were calhng Matthews, who is railroad tracks. "I've always been to stay on that night at the crisis cen-the president's National Security more worried about that than Three ter.

Couned staff expert on nuclear energy Mile Island." A train rumbled by, At about 2 a m.. Thursday, he de.

reactors, to report that one had gone loaded with toxic ( hemicals cided to grab one of the cots and a bad up at Three Mile Island. pa.. u hich e

blanket that had been stored there. He is a place she had neser even thought At the King of Prussia. Pa. regional lugged them down to an empty office about.

office of the Nuclear Regulatory Com-m here he caught a few hours' sleep.

4 The first word to the outside world three networks as well as local televi-Newsweek and by the New York Daily came in the form of an " urgent" mes.

sion stations and newspapers from News sage-a signal of more than routine philadelphia. Ilarrisburg and Balto

" Sixty Mmutes will be here any but hardly casttstrophic import-ever more were prowImg the grounds. (lus-mmute " he predictet uith the confi the Associated press utre at 906 a m.

termg about anyone w ho seemed to be dence of a new born media star.

on Wednesday. lt said. " Officials at the in a position to speak authoritativet)

That nicht Walter Cronkste opened Three Mile Island Nuclear plant base about what had happened.

his nightly CBS television news pro-declared a Teneral emergency / a state Residents from nearby Middletoun.

gram uith these uords-police spokesman said today."

Roy alton. Londonderry and else-

"It was the first step m a nuclear There were no details. no explana-where, poured out to the scene - he-nightmare as far as we know at this tion of what a " general emergency" wildered by events at the plant and be-hour, no uorse than that But a gov-was. Ap quoted " spokesman" James danled by the occupation army of ernment official said that a break-Cox as saying that "whatever it is. is news figures and gosernment techni-down m an atomic pouer plant m contamed in the second nuclear umt."

cians. %ke Connor. skipped school for penns>lvania today is probably the That was enough, howeser, to fuse the day. he decided he would set up a worst nuclear accident to date.."

the explosion of news media attention hot dog stand but his mother Rita.

Three Mde Island at that point be-that was b) 130 to surround the plant said no. John Garmsh boasted that he came indelibly engraved as a historic with some 120 reporters, photograph had been mterviewed by fase different place name in the nuc lear era e ers and television technicians The local television stations. b) ABC.by i

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Ci>'F A Swift Rethinkinob Of the hhinkable' If it did nothmg else. the accident If ever a meltdown hre to occur.

lustrated puhhshed an artule titled at Three Mile Island injected new ur-accordmg to the controsersial study.

"The Nukes Are in llot Water." It gency into the national debate on nu-this is one of the hkely ways it might raised questions about the impact of clear power.

hanpen.

nuclear hot w;ter dise harge on sports.

Demonstrations. sit ms plant shut-In the latter half of the last decade.

men s fishing reels-downs. occasional radiation leaks-the nuclear debate has mflamed sec-none evoked the.nthmkable aspects tions of more than 40 states, dmdme As alternatnes t nuclear power. sh of I vmg uith nu.. car power as starkl>

communities and even househ41s. St.

Critics advoiate h)dro. coal, wmd and as the accident t ut Wednesday morn ins. walk ms. pray ms and shout ms geothermal energ) as the answors to ing. What often nad been dismissed as has e been held for and agamst nuclear the nation's energy needs.They regard impossible now seemed to be unfold' power. There are dozens of different as the most promismg enercy sourc e the sun, whkh could prmide hmitless ing on the oanks of the Susquehanna-humper stickers damnmg and praising heat and electricity without pollutme Ironically, the accident at Three nuclear pow er.

Mile Island raisN the issue of nuclear or endangerms the air and water.

safety all over just as it had become The most debated issue in the nu-Solar te(hnology has alread) made the least urgent of the three baste clear controser

'iad not twen the dermeable mroads m hot water heat-prts of the debate on nuclear power safety of plat Three Mile Island me for mdividual homet an appeahne The last three years had seen the thre-It has been wa

.r it is safe to bur) alternatise to dimimshing and increa+

ats if the spread of nuclear weapons the wastes that can remam radioactise Ingly costly oil and gas. But the time ind the disposal of radioactise waste for thousands of years and expense inwived in a harnassme become more central to the debate Second to that is the issue of nuclear of the sun s pouer as a major energy than the isspe of safety.

weapons prohferation When India ex source ns enormous jn more than 20 years of operations ploded an atomic bomb almost fne At this pomt there seems httle pros.

in the United States, there had never years ago with the plutonium it ex-pect from either pohtical or technolog-been a nuclear accident as threatenm2 tracted from the spent fuel in a nu.

ital stand pomts that the nation will to property and human hfe as Three clear reactor, that issue grew dramati-reverse its commitment to nuclear en Mile istand.

cally in importance On April 6. the ergy United States suspended economic and The consequence of the Three Mile Thousands of reactor operatmg to pakistan oser evidente pakistan Island accident is that it will undoubt-plant yars in the civahan power pro-was headed in the same directton edly shake the unquestionme arquies-gram base gone by without the loss of With antmuclear ranks certam to cence with which many Americans a smgle hfe. Not a sincie accident in-grow because of Three Mile Island. the hase accepted nuclear power as the volvmg the nuclear propulsion system debate may once acam shift back to chief ingredient m the nation's lone-has ever befallen the world's nuclear safety. At the ser) least. the nuclear term energy hase.

navies Only once before, m IW1.

electricity industry faces new and That ma) also be its on1) blessmg 9 q>lfg when Army technicians mistakenly stiffer regulations that could raise

.6 started a cham reaction while working costs. shut dow n some plants and delay g."

II on a test reactor, had there been a fa-others tahty from a nuclear accident.

It could be worse. The hearings the Nuclear advocates had hammered nuclear industry faces m the flouse I

home this safety record One famous and Senate for the next year over l

i as9ssment on uhuh they rehed was Three Mile Island may brmg the types i

the so<alled Ra=iussen report of 1975, of stiff controls and demands that a probabihty study which said the hke-grmd the industry to a halt. It has al hhood of nuclear catastrophe is very ready slowed to a walk. Last year. only two new nuclear plants were ordared low.

But the Rasmussen report also iden.

by U.S electric companies.down from tifies certain sequences of events a peak of 41 ordered in the wake of the j

i w hich it says are not as unhkely as oth-1973 Arab oil embargo. In the last i

ers. One is called "TMLQ" in the code three years. 31 nuclear projects were M

of the study. It means loss of feed-canceled or deferred.

B water plus failure of a safety valve It Real opposition to t.uclear power g

is exactly what happened at Three rfaced in 1968 and has been growing E

I h*

y Mile istand.

ince. That was the year Sports 11-M ma Tu u umsum eut l

l l

-~~

Metropohtan Edison utility officials began a pubhc relations campaign to persuade the pubhc that the situation h

Csofing few soon uould be in hand Appe: ring on ABC's " Good Morning America." Met Ed President Walter M Creitz told viewers that the plant soon SmeelvHia9 would be safely closed down without injury to anyone.

At a late morning press conference

$hehui in flershey. Pa.. Creitz introduced Met Comeinment forbine Svading IWs top tet hmcal of ficial. John G. lier.

bein. who was quickly ambushed by a Vansel L

T pack of reporters.

%'ay, someone asked, had the com-pany waited three hours to warn area

@@d

\\

residents of the accident.

\\

/

"There was no delavT llerbem in-sisted. "We were carry'mg out normal P*

g plant procedures up to 7 a m "

W/

lie admitted that it was " unusual" g

that the reactor's pressurizer rehef valve had stuck in the open positon. re-r

/

leasmg radioactise water mto the con-tamment. And he acknowledged for AI'M'"9 N$pene F,,i the first time that there may have been human error m the controt room m,n, p.c,1,,,,,

But hke Creitt he continued to walk a de:Icate ime. What the company he-hesed--or at least wanted the puhhc to behese-mas that the danger had passed LL Still the reporters pressed him. "I g

gg l

l Ine a mite from the plant." Selled one "What are you game to be domg to protect my famil> ?" "Mr. lierbem."

another shot out. "is your plant a 1

R u d nly somesme else grabted the hg h

11 tmerophone. It w as Middletow n's mayor. Robert lleid. Why. he deman-ded. hadn't his commumtv twen told

• " " * " ~ " ' " " ' ~ " " " " ' " " -

l COH me Ile

('U D(W e twin apologued. promisms to do bet 1

ter.

At Three Mile Island the abstrac-At 1130 a m officials decided to Fmally. wt

• television cameras zerome m on ms perspirma fare lier-I tions of the national debate met nu

" blow down" the system-to try to clear power were reduced to frighten reduce the pressure in the coolms sys.

hein's compmure broke: "We didn't in-

)

ing partuutars escapmg radiation, a tem to +M1 pounds per square in(h jure an> body with this an sdent. we l

"mmor" hydrogen explosion radioac-This was the lesel whH h would permit didn't seriously contaminate ans bodv.

and we certam'l> didn't kd! any bodyf tis e contaminatian of the Susque-them to turn on the huge pumps nor.

Meanw hile, radioactive gas and hanna River, tha sperter of a fallout mally used to brms the reactor to steam were buildmg up to potentially cloud over the East Coast.

2" cold shutdow n."

These sere the ponderables neigh At f:rst, all seemed to be come well explosive lesels in the austhary build.

ing on the team of gosernment and But withm the system the coolant was inc. Company offnials were forced to corporate tet hnocrats struggtmg to bubbt:ng hke champagne. Officiah vent radioactne gases mto the atmo.

1 confme the damage The crisis manag-worried that as the pressure on the sphere ers from state and federal agencies as coolant system dropped. bubbles As a result. the spread of radiation well as the company contractors gath-would be releamt formme a pot ket of uas now at the forefront of concern.

although httle had been done to assure ered m an overnight trailer settle-explosne gas at the top of the teattor ment, a tet hnological campground.

s essel.

systematic momtormg of radiation across the rner from the reactor com-At about 2 p m., with pressure al.

leveh in the area Early Thursday af ternoon. Congress.

i plex The mood was shiftmg from the most down to the point where the

in the form of two usitmg delegations.

smugness of scientific certamty to hu-huge coohng pumps could be brought mihty. skeptinsm and m( reasmgly.

irdo play, a small hydrogen explosion i made its apperance on the stage in i

Pennsylvania Company officials gase l

fear that something had been un-jotted the reac tor leashed oser which science appeared The explosion set off the emergency ' thtm the same assurances they had to base lost control sprays up near the dome of the con.

given to the press earlier. The pohti Though on Wednesda3. March 28.

tamment structure, w hich fwgan pour.

clans mere skeptical the plant's managers assured the Nu-mg Sono gallons of w hite sodium The compann seekr not to offend clear Regulatory Commission that the hydroxide solution all oser the reac.

the visitmc dign%.a. allowed one congressman. Joh i Wydler 4t N YJ. to reactor itself was under control. the tor.

federa! counterparts mere skeptical.

Officials in the control room-who go onto the island. I.ater it allowed Inside the reactor vesnl the pres-now had their first defimtste sign that Pennsylvania Lt. Gov Wdham W.

j Scranton ill into it.e auxiliary buildme stare in the cooling system was fluctu-gas bubbles had formed m the reactor ating wildly. Each time the pressure

-reluctantly abandoned their effort for a personal msp"ction. "I was sunted went up blasts of radioactne steam to depressurize the system up in an extraordmary suitf' he told w'uld shoot out of the rehef valve. es-At 5 31 p.m.. they decided to try to reporters after the usit Asked how he t, ping into the containment structure.

bring the pressure hat k up in an effort felt. he rephed cheerily. "I feel f me "

A series of alarms warned the con-to collapse the bubbles. They aho de.

By late af ternoon on Thursday. it ap-trol room team of the increastng radia-cided to try to restart the mam reactor peared that the company 3 soothms reassurances no longer squared with tion level inside the containment shell coolant pump, which had shut dow n at Yet no one pushed the button that the start of the accident the reality mside the reactor core. Met would have sealed off the structure. It When it started, water began to cir.

FSs credibihty war comme m for a was not isolated until the rapidly ris culate agam through the reactor, fi.

lackmg.

ing pressure in the buildmg resulting nally immersing the top of the core, Part of the problem was simply the from intermittent steam bursts trtg shich had twen left exposed and dism.

solume of requests for information gered the automatic cutoff mechanism tegrating for more than 11 hours1.273148e-4 days <br />0.00306 hours <br />1.818783e-5 weeks <br />4.1855e-6 months <br />.

comme mto the company's small put>

in the plant.

Durmg the course of Wednesday he relations staff. One pit man said the By mid-morning. Wednesday, with night. the situat>on in the reactor company received 4Jux) mquirtes dur-the heat readmgs in the core gomg of f began to stabihre. The temperature ing the first Iwo days of the crisis.

the scale and prmtmg question marks started to come down. and pressure Other voices added to the confusion on the computer. 91 ant offiaals were was held around 1.000 pounds per Tuo promment academicians. twih critics of nuclear power. made their getting desperate over their mabihty sqt'are inch Jppearance m the Three Mde Island J

to bring the temperatures down.

On Thursday morning. confident l

i r

i i

1 l

l l

drama to jom the issue with the com other state officials from worried ex-night.a press aide for the state Depart-pany.

pertant mothers.

ment of Enuronmer.tal Resources l

Dr. Ernest Sternglass, & radiology What might be termed the coup de turned up m the deserted prem room

}

professor from the Unhersity of Pitts.

grace to the day's confusions came late on the second Iker of the state capitol j

burgh. sand he had done samples at the Thursday afternoon when all phone The department. in an untimely re-j llarrisburg airport, three miles north commumeations went out hetween the lease. said that because Met Ed s hold-i of the Three Mile Island site. They nree Mile Island control room and ing tanks at Three Mile Island were showed radiation levels 15 times the the command post across the river dangerously on cloaded with radioac.

normal amount expected at the air-

"For sescral hoars. there theae guys tne wa3te. the utihty had for hours port. Sternglass said. Dr. George Wald, were trying to keep atop of the situa-flushed the water into th' Suv;ue-a retired liarvard biologist, warned of tion usmg w alkie-talkies." an NRC hanna during the afternoon %' hen it the effects from radiation on pregnant source sant "The whole situation-learned of the flushmg. the state had women and children.

simply incredible "

ordered it halted.

By midafternoon calls were pourmg But there was one more starthne But no one b1d bothered to tell the t

mto the offices of the governor and breakdown to come. Just after mid communities d wnstream e Glossary of Nuclear Power Terms Followmg are some of 'ne techm.

shaped to ser in which heat from the FUEL RODS liollow pipes contam-cal terms and their N

. s used in reactor is released to the air by evapo.

me uranium fuel pellets that fuel the nuclear energy:

rating water This prot ess does not re-reac tor to produc e heat

~

lease radmactn it).

MELTDOH N. The merheatme of a CONTAINMENT BUILDING The plant s nuclear fucI to such a degree thick-walled budding that surrounds that it melts the protec tive shell CllAIN REA(TION-When uranium the reactor sessel it is the second hne around the nu(lea

• reactor core. re-atoms split, they emit tieutrons that of defense agamst radioactiuty bemg sulting in release of radioactne con spht other uranium atoms in a continu-released to the atmosphere tamination.

tne process When the number of CORE: The center of a nuclear reac.

MILLIREM The term uwd to mea +

neutrocs mitted is sufficient to keep tor that 'ontains the fissionable fuct ute absorption of radiation by hu-the chair.

etion gome. the reactor is that. when actW splits atoms of mans The aserage American is ex-said to ha.

eached criticahty or has uramum and tous vmduces heat The posed to 100 to 310 milbrems of radia reached critical mass.

heat m turn converts water in nearby tion per y ear. includmg radiation from CLADDING: The material that coats generators mto steam that operates x rap to cosm. aa>s A normal chest or surrounds the nutlear fuel the turbmes that produce electricity.

x ray exiwes a perwn to between 20 CONDENSER. The heat exchanger DECAY IIEAT. The heat produced and au milbrems.

m which steam is transformed mto by radioacthe decay of maternah that NUCLEAR R ADIATION. The release shquidiwater by remoung heat.

are primardy the remnants of the of nuclear energy which, when ah-CONTROL RODS. Carhon that. w ben

< hann reaction sorbed by the human body can dam mserted mio the nuclear core, neutra!

Dm!E: The top of the structure that age or kill human cells The dangers of tres the fission. causing the reattion to houses the core. The core of the Three radiation mclude death late nt cam.

slow dow n or stop Mile Island dome structure has 8 4 inch ers. genetic damage and cont.mma COOLANT. The fluid that removes high strength carbon-steel walls It is tion of the enuronment the nuclear generated heat from the housed m the " containment buildmg" REACTOR VFSSEL: The pressure core:in most plants water w it h w alls 4 feet thitk made of tank that surrounds the wrc. control PRIMARY COOLANT SYSTEM The prestressed concrete and steel tem rods and related equipment It h the entire circuit through which the fluid foreme rods.

first ime of defense acamst the release passes includmg pipmg. vessels and FISslON. The sphttmg of the nu of radioactiuty to the oct3ide.

components, may include the reactor cleus of an atom enabhng the creation t'RANlt31 The element-a metal, vessel, coolant pump and steam gener-of nuclear enercy.

with radioactn e propt rties-used as ator FUEL PELLET: The

' form in fuel because of its ahrht) to underco COOLING TOWER: An hourglass shich the uranium is con.au.ed contmuous fission e HAPHR5 A Disturbing Signal Of Vented 4

the best intelhgence communication R(o y(q tly n

Two of the machmes are the Awri-

{

1 { yL ll ated Press and Umted Press interna-tional wire service tickers-and it was these machines that first let the press Early Friday mornmg. ora of the ef, ice of the new problem Shorth dent's staff know early Friday that small planes circling contmuously after 9 a m., radios in the llarrisbur's thmes had taken a turn for the worse above the T.ree Mile Island plant area informed the public that there in Penns)hania.

picked up a disturbing signal-a hign was an " uncontrolled release of radia With the new report of radiation, and unexpected plume of frest rad <

tion" coming from Three Mile Island the Situation Room called the National tion commg from the stack alongsl3 In fact, what that small plane had Security Couned's Jessica Matthews, the auxiliary buildmg.

picked up was a debberate vedan7 of uho quickly wrote a memo to national Wtthin mmutes the readmg ha radioactive gas by Metropohtan $di-security affairs aduset Zbigniew Brie-flashed down to NRC headquarters in son, part of an effort by company tech.

rmskL who briefed the president. Car-Washington and back to Gov. Richard nacians to relieve pressure that was ter then called Joseph llendrie. chair.

Thornburgh's office, setting off a aminously building up in a holding wan of the Nuclear Regulatory Com-string of reactions that would sud-tank. But the company had failed to mission.

denly escalate Wednesday's incident give the necessary w arnings to state or Suddenly the situation was bn-into a full blow n crists-federal of ficials and so authorities, un.

predictable and the outlook uas not The first word reachmg Washington aware that the venting was dehberate good-that morning indicated that the radia' and not part of a spreadmg acendent.

Carter asked llendrie: M hat can we tion level above the plant had hit 120 set in motion extraordmary plans to do to help you? What do you need' millirems. NRC officials, alarmed by protect the residents of the area.

Hendrie answcred immediately. They the strength of the radtation and even needed to get arother team to the site more by its very existence, bypassed in Washington. in the basement of and better cornmumcations Carter's normal channels and quickly alerted West Wing of the White llouse the Sit-aides already knew that. They had the Pennsylvania Department of Envi-uation Room is equipped with the tried to reach Thornburgh's ofixe in ronmental Resources m llarrisburg, most complete electrome mstrumenta-Ilarrisburg and had been unable to get which in turn notified Thornburgh's tion possible to assure the president of a call through for half an hour

i l

Brzezinski got his mihtary aide, Col At the same instant. Middletown's agreed there was no reason for panic.

l Wilham Odum, on the case and within overloaded phone system went deed.

But at the % hate llouse, Brzezmski had an hour hehtopters were landing at It was with that prelude that John called the president's assistant for in-l the Bethesda Naval llospital pad to flerbein of Met Ed began his delayed tergosernmental relations, Jack Wat-I pick up the team from NRC headquar-press conference. " Conditions." he son, to tell him that the situaton on ters in Bethesda to ferry them to said. "are sta ble?

Three Mile Istari was "at best uncer-(

Three Mile Island Meanu hi.e the Under questioning. lierhem admit-tam." Watson would twcome the chief White flouse signal corps was instal-ted that the company had dchberately hnk between the gosernor and the i

hng " drop hnesf' which plugged the vented radioactive gas into the atm+

White llouse. Withm minutes. Mat-Pennsylvania state offices at liarris-sphere for 45 minutes that mornmg.

thews and Odum were in Watson's of-hurg and the control room at the nu-from 7.30 inntil 8.15. He also admitted fice briefmg him and his chief aide, clear plan' into the White flouse hat the ' ntmg had caused radiation Gene Endenberg.

suitchborre. It was doue in four avels ath the plant that were higher Endenberg recalls that he asked how hours.

than ex,

'ed. But he disputed the serious it could become and that Mat-This spreadmg sense of trouble.

NRC rea as of 1.200 mithrems. The thews rephed. "This could be sery seri-however. had somehow missr-l state lesel. ne aid, was closer to 330 mills.

ous "

and federal officials nearest to the rems.

Still uncertam of conditions at the plant. At about 8 33 a m.. E. C. McCabe Nor did flerbein see any need for plant. Thornburgh decioed he must of the NRC told reporters huddled at pame. "It's certainly the casil defense's act agam. At noon. he called reporters the door of his trader across the Sus-prerogative to take those steps." he to the media renter on the sixth fhior quehanna from the plant that his said. "but we don't thmk it uas neces.

of the state Capitoq monitors had measured "a maximum sary. lf the ctvil defense chooses to tell "I am ad-ismg those who may be of 20 millircrrs for a few mmutes and inhabitants of Middletown 'o keep particularly susceptible to the effects then it dropped off very fast."

their uindows and doors shut. that's of radiaton. that is pregnant uomen At about the same time. Wilham their prerogaine." And then, almost and pre-school age children. to leave the area withan a Smile radius of the Dornsife of the State Department of defiantly, he added. "."We have our u m.

Enstronmental Resources was telhng dow s and doors open Three Mile Island facihty until further his superiors that radiation lesels that Almost lost m this free for-all be-notice."

morning appeared lower than the day tween the company and the media was Despite the gosernor's repeated ef.

before.

lierbem's passmg mention of a bubble forts to play down the seserity of the And Just before 9 a m. as he headed of hydrogen gas apparently buddmg situation. the effect of the evacuation through the plant s north gate NRC up in t he reactor core.

order was chillmg. In Middletown. a superusor Cart Berlinger said he knew "It's serious. but not to the extent consoy of 2ti )ellow school buses be-nothme about a radution leak. "I'm that we hase to evacuate the riti gain Immg up on the edge of town to sure they wouldrit let us in there if zenry." he said take people to the llershey storts there w as a senous health problem."

But m liarrisburg. Gov. T%rnburgh arena 11 miles am ay.

But in liarrisburg the tennon con-was bemg told just the opposite. Smce Near the town hall. five small chti-tmued to ratc het upward Thorn-urgmg all residents to sta'. indoors, the dren clung tightly to their mother and hurch, totally dependent on the con-governor had raced throigh a series of each other Stommy. Im scared fhetmg adske of experts. felt com phone calia and meetiscs. seeking to Mommy. I'm si.ared "

pelled to act-but not in order.

understand nare fu':y the events of At the Middletown Elementary At 10 a m. he urged everyone within the mornme anu 1e potential danger School mothers arrived runnmg to re-a 10 mile radius of the plant to stay m-they held for his state The plam fact trieve their t hi!dren doors until further notice.

was that no one then knew the extent "The kids were calm, but we had a The word spread immediately down of the danger of low-lesel radiation to hard time keepmg the parents from thchwas 441 to Middletown. where the residents closest to the plant but pamcking." said Joe Prokepchop. the Mayor Robert Reid and (nil defenw by then no one was willing to take principal.

chief Butch R>an sent sound truc ks chances Bonnie Mcrgan.19. and Clarente into the street to warn residents to Thornburgh met with officals from Bankes.the father of the child she was take coser. " Stay tuned to telesision the Pennsylvanta Emergency Manage.

expectme any day. came into the hor-and radio for more information. the ment Agency. w ho urged him to order ough hall after hearme the warnmg.

loudspeakers boomed Do not call a partial evacuation. esen though they Their eyes uere red. They wcre dis-friends and neichb rs... keep the beheved the radiation levels were still traught. scared telephone imes open

• Similar warn-below the danger level

" Nervous' That's not the word for mas were issued m other commumties it." Clarence said near the plant A similar recommendation came By then traffic was thickenmg on inside the borough t all. Ryan was from NRC Chairman tiendrie in Wash-Unior: Street. the toan's main drag, husthng his volunteers toward the ington lits experts had advised him Cars leaded with clothmg and suit-streets with radiation counters lie that the gas bubble then buildmg was cases began crawhng up the hill head-handed one of the yellow Geiger coun-potentially more serious than flerbem ing out of tow n.

ters to a worker and cave blunt in-had hmted to the press. llendrie told As the painful exodus mounted.

structions "If you read 190 0r more on Thornburgh he should urge-not Mayor Reid stood in front of the hor-this thing, you get Sour ass back here.

order-people to begm to mose out ough hall watching lie had just issued DON'T go on the radio I don't care if Thornburgh also conferred with orders to his taman pohte force to you use a stren or what. Just get back Carter about the problem They shoot alllooters e here "

Reid and his aides called the schools.

Cancel recesses. they saul Esery child

=

must eat lunch at se hool. No one goes

/

j%

g 'br.

into the streets.

},

T.

But the mayor wasn't heedme the e

w Rosernor s adstre to stav Inside. In

.r

'e mmutes, he had drisen from the town hall to the American !"gion post, 4

where officials of Metropo.itan Edison j

had scheduled a press conference.

Even as Reid was arriving and the semicircle of tripmis and hot lights

.\\

was formmg near the stage at the front of the legion hall. another act in the growing sequence of confusion began

,4,.

At 1115-whether dehberately or

' [p accidentally-the air raid strens began

.g to watt across the city of liarrisburg.

i*

Some now beheve it was the work of sf'

,A WQ/

a an employe in the Employment Man-agement Agency, trymg to reinforce

'y-M Thornburth s uarning to stay indoors.

s Instead it had the opposite etfect. Back N

at the legion post in Middletown. a tel-

• O,,

evision technician in contact by wal-Two year-old Dionne Ba31or sleeping in the esacuation center in lleShe c ag e "

pie in llarrisbu g are running around hke crary," he said.

% IS M D]D W

L MMim

3 3 jy q[ ' '

n Danger of Day 3:

Nuclear Shower If the Core Melts Of all the words in the lemon of Me t r opohtan Edtu a suple behes ed u ota f ollow ed to iwar n a dmn r. aide -

nuclear power none is more hideous w,s a steam bubbh Then the ey+rt-Earher when th+ < hairmar. of the than meltdo w n an event so sinister f rom Batw oi k & M ilens - 'oi h butit N Rt ' Joseth Hendrie br witxt preu that marn phssa tsts fmd it duitasteful the plant and the Nui lear Hegulators dent l'arte on t he ut uation t he prey to talk athn>t t'ommisuon agreed that with prem dent had asked for or. "d r ar. A 11 o as umpic a-it is unnter the nu ures o' ip I ' I um pournis per sqt.are the v era om eot o w f..

omd -p. a k (lear f uel os erheats to suc h a degree in< F.o the rea< 1or it < ouldn t br a author itat n eh ir t he ces e rnme nt t hat it rnetts throuc t. t he fi'ior of t he am bubble A stean bubbl. w ouid a bo u t a hat w as comt 'in Ib s on ho raetor sessel and t he rm k beneath it aa s e, ollapwd was Mr l *r eud e n t llend r l+ rrphed resulime m t h+ releau of deadh ra That h ft onh one posubihts a gas lin name o liarold f ee'n'on dioai r n.

ontaromation mto the air or hubble c ontammc hs drogen temiwr a T errible es ent s has. i w a '. of d!,

w ater mental sotatih hsdrocen tot tinc and enf arcuie perwnalite Hs the nteht of F ridas Mari h :si th The hubble I mn iobn f ee t and turrunc unknown-mt. her.

\\t into be r.,

third das of the Three Mde Nand m erow ine w ould make 'aturdas the Thre. Wh 14and t he r, w

dent the posubthis of a meltdow n h 1 woru das of the i rnn her o, s but m the tenuon

. nf t bra om, f rightenmch r eal uun of t h. we.kend liarold H.o l h T.

L Mashmeton bur"sto r at w euld But that wasn I ah livre was a n., a ton a iorm to s s tn b..h z.

.i ktrut. if te h t han, e that the reatf or micht espl.de

'sh ort h af t. r 1 p ni on Frida s N korsks heln opti r w it h \\n noi rahi reawnabb i - that he!1 ed i

~

wit h enouth fo i e to shauer the < on gia n t i

tain n.eni and sho w er nm lear ran.

F ori e markmes becan < ire hnc Thrn eaw the pubbi muul us er a l'en n s-sanu ountrs side br Mde island thrn put dow n m a i orn b he i r r n e<'

at tto

,im n.a n i p. -f Einnme to show sicrn e f sprmi f u 'd behind the Met Ed i ommand pcs Denton abo knew he w as th r. n *m All of t h n be. a use of a bubbb on t he west bank of the Susquehann.,

as mtu h as posuble the publi' ha ke i Thn bubbh had a ppe a., d lat e Rner A tall husks man with thmrunc u.g tet weer. the e omparn and t he a

Thuru1as or earh Fridas \\1 first the sands hair and lanc udeburns Jun.p+,1 crni ont M.

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-s, State trooper at plaat gate admits Nay flatbed loaded with iced bricks for use as radiation shields

closely with the govertsor" Denton But there wa.i much to learn on the sand as he walked past the guards at island and they stayed longer than ex-d 8l,gerld b, itt-P the door of the command post.

pected. It was nearly 8 p m. before the lie did not mention Metropolitan Ed.

1)enton team artised at Thornburgh's lg3 (, q gqg jg ison office to give the governor his first f ull s

The spectahsts he had brought in-report.

Movie title notwithstandmg. if here cluded some of the nation's top ex-lie would hear tuo pieces of alarm-had been a meltdow n at Three ble Is-perts in reactor safety. m meteorology ing news.

land. it would properly hase twen sto track wind patterns in hopes of The first was that the reactor core called a case of "Diamintma Syn.

keeping an explosive shouer from was more badly damaged than first be drome."

driftmg too fari. and-more ommously heved-at least one-third of it. This if the Pennsylvania nuclear plant

-in treatmg sictims of nuclear exp+

had occurred on Wednesday when the had melted straight through the carth.

sure. More speciahsts were on the way falhng coolant lesels in the core ex-it would not hase emerged anywhere from Washmgton.

posed the top of the fuel rods. L'npro near China but rather in the Diaman-Denton's team was ushered into a tected by cooling water. the claddmg tma Trough, a section of the Indian u mdowless room in the command post on the outside of the fuel rods heated Ocean about 190 miles off the south-for a briefmg from Met Ed's John tier-up rapidly. "Ilie rirconium in the clad-we t tip of Austraha.

bem. lie assured Denton thmgs were ding oxidized. releasing more heat.

Lespite the popular notion about under control At about that time, uhtch in turn hallooned and spht the "diggme straight throuch to China."

monitors in the NRCs mobile trailer claddmg. allowmg radioactive gases the antipodal pumt on the globe for measured a mmilbrem " spike" of ra-like xenon.133 kryptonK) and iodme-any spot m North America e some-diation Tuo warkers in the plant had 131 to seep out through the crack 5.

w here in the Indian Ocean.

uncoupled a hose full of radioactive NRC investigators had first learned water. They were qus< kly hustled off of the extent of the damage to the core hortng at least 40 feet into the earth.

the site to be chet ked for radiation.

when they got bac k an analysis of the stoppmg only when enough rot k and Herbem's briefmg contmued. but primary coolant sample The damage, soil have mixed with it to despate its just as he raised the question of coex-accordmg to Denton. suggested that heat.

istence between the NRC and Met Ed.

the radioactnity m the system of la the worst possible case, a melt-Denton was summoned to a green-water m the containment was " hotter down at Three ihle Isl.nd that forced house next door.

than hell."

a break in the contamment and it was the president calhng.

The second alarming development poured radioactive debris into the at-Denton found himself momentarily was the gas bubble contamme hydro-mosphere could trigger a catastrophe.

at a loss for words. ~1 relayed to him gen.1.Um cubic feet in size, at the top One of the first and most abundant whatever I knew at the time." he re-of the reactor. The reactor had he-fission products released in a melt-called. " lie u anted me to get on top of come so hot that the coolant water had down would be a suarm of radioactne the tuation, to keep him informed.

decomposed mto its primary elements lodme, a mix of gas and hquid that and provide the full resources of the oxygen and hy drogen could be carried far downuind in the gmernment to do whatever was neces-The biggest danger was the possibil.

plume escaping the plant. People liv-sary to protect the public health and ity that the bubble would continue to ing dounwind would amost surely m-safety."

grow. forting all the coolant water out hale some of the todme. Ram would Back in Washington, the bureauc-of the reactor, alloutng the tempera-brme more of the iodme out as a kmd racy under presidential assistuit Jack ture of the fuel rods to build up until of fallout. setthng on the ground and Watson had begun to do the same Be-they reached 5fim degrees.

dosing anybody nearby with as much cause of the danger of possible radia-At that heat. the urarium uould as 150 rems of radiation in a single day tion contamination. Watson's office begin to melt.

The Icthat dose is described as 40 author?ed the Food and Drug Admm-Short of the meltdown there was rems, but the sic k the elderly. younc istration to contract for the manufac-the possihihty of an explosion, either and unborn children could easili die ture. pac kagmg and shippmg to liar.

in the containment buildme or in the from a dose of 150 rems. A dose that risburg of 241 tim oneounce sials of reactor core. On the first day of the ac-strong cou;d bemt to kill bone marrow potassium iminde. It could he admmis-cident. there had been a small hydro-so fast that death might follow m a tered orally to collect in the thyroid.

Een explosion in the conta'. ment-an matter of months hopefully saturatmc the gland with event Met Ed officials did t tell state To many soentists. the so-st conse-this non radioactive and nonrancer-or federal authorit, s out. When quence of an merdose of radiciodme causmg agent before any radioactne NRC experts found out. they launched is not the lethal dose a few might get.

todme could reat h it.

an immediate effort to anatyre the it is the non lethal dose which would For evacuation plannmg. Watson physicalchemistry of the bubble.

concentra m the th> rond gland m the had dispatthed Robert Adameek. a re-Thornburgh was told that the NRrs throat, w here radiation might produ gional dire (tor of the Federal Disaster analysis showed that the hydrogen tumors in thousands of people mer a Assistance Administration, from Phila-could become flammable or explosive period of 3) years.

delphia to llarrisburg to coordmate in a matter of days MIT's Rasmussen postulated that m with Gov. Richard Thorr. burgh lie A Prmceton Umversity scientist cal-the worst possible case as many as re had sent John McConnell, assistant d:-

culated that the energy in the bubble WO thyroid operations would be re' rector of the Defense Cnil Prepared-was enough to set off an exflosion quired over 3) years to cure the after-ness Agency, to consult with county equal to three tons of TNT. Such a effects of a massive radiotodme fal-civil defense of ficials in the region sur-force could rip the top of the resctor tout roundmg the plant.

dome right off, floodmg the contain.

The long term effects of a meltdown Watson's office also coordmated the ment uith radioactive debits. There are felt if radioactive cesium and shipment of 70 tons of lead bricks were also fears that the hydrogen strontium get toto the air and water.

from depots around the country to the would escape to the containment and They contammate the land for years to Three Mile Island plant Dosimeters.

explode there. One engineer calcu-come.

blankets and cots were gathered and lated the a hydrogen explosion three The half-hfe of cesium 137 is almost sent to centers that could be used m times the fort of Wednesday's blast 31 years during whit h time it emits the event of evacuation.

might bre6 the four foot thick ualls gamma rays so penetraims that no hv-These preparations. accordmg to of the cotaamment, releasing radioac-ing thing could sursive for long on quick estimates. cost the gosernment tive materialinto the air.

ground badly contammted by cesium

$1.7 milhon.

Thornburgh wanted to know about fallout.

the worst case. a meltdow n Deton's briefmg of Thornburgh g

Once the core reaches Sm0 degrees.

ran 90 minutes. Despite the seriousness Denton hung up after conferrma he was told, the rods begm to melt, of the situation at the plant. there was with the president, then walked out to and once the melting is under w ay, the no imminent danger that w auld force the law n in front of the house to brief heavy metals hke.iranium and stron-an evacuation. Thornburgh was re-the press. Before he could begin, a tel-tium begin to run right through the lieved evision reporter asked him to move-.

floor of the reactor.

At 10 p m. he and Denton arrived m once, twice, a third time--so that the Even after a loss of coolant, there the cramped press room on the sixth huge coohng towers of the nuclear would stdl be a fout foot pool of water floor of the tapitol Public television plant formed the backdrop for the ca-below the fuel rods at the bottom of carried the briefmg live to hundreds meras.

the reactor sessel that had not holled of thousands of homes.

Denton's remarks to the press were off. The melttng core would fall mto Thornburgh spoke briefly, to say he short. The White flouse, he said, was that pool of water, possibly producing would order no evacuat:on at that concerned that the reports being a steam explosion that would blow the time but would reconsider as events given the pubhc weren't "hard. firm reactor dome off hke a missile and warranted Then he turned it over to facts" To dispel this concern. Denton break through the containment walls.

Denton.

said he would send his team of experts Meanshile, the molten core would "This is easily the most serious situa.

onto the island for a first-hand inspec.

continue to bore down through the tion in the life 0; the reactor pro-tion. They would report to the gover-concrete floor of the contamtnent and gram." Denton said. And in the t. ext nor early in the evening, and a press into tia ground A report on reactor few days, he said, the federal govern conference would follow around 830 safety prepared by Dr. Norman Ras-ment, not Metropohtan Edison, would p.m.

mussen of MIT talks about the core be making the crucial decisions e

The Phenomenon Called Radiation i

J A woman who lives across the rher Gartously ghe off gamma rays, very and Melfare Scoretary Joseph A Cab from the Three Mile Island nuclear much hke X rays, and three possible fano Jr estmutal Dr. Karl N Morgan plant said last week As long as that k Olds of ray hke particles, alpha part6c.

ar. elder statesman among health php plant is out there. I'm going to Ine lesnucleiof hehum atomi, beta partic.

irists. thmks there ma) he one esress with some kind of fear."

les thigh energy electron 9 and cancer. lie also acknowledged that a The fear that she and mdhons of oth neutrons For example, radioartsse io.

fe* scientots, with wham most au ers felt last week was a new one for dmswhich emerged in small am thorities disagree, think there may tw most Americans-a dread of the un-mount, at least, from Three Mile Island as many as 50 seen, unfelt phenomenon called rk na-

-emits beta and gamma ravr Some known facts about radiation

~

tion When 60m21ng radiation enters a are that The German professor, Wilhelm tuuly rell, it can break dow n its mem-

'We all hse with an unasoidable ta Konrad Roentgen. felt no such fear.

branes and anternal structures and kill diation "harkground" from elements only high excitement. w hen he dacov-it Or, at lower levels. it ran alter the ln roiks. nod and the air. and from cred X rap in Im6 Dut uithm four cell's metahohsm or the way it uws the maniworks,like en losing un m buihl months, a Dr. J. Daruels of Vanderhalt tmdy% nutrients And the radiation Ings made of ordinary granite and University in Nashulle.experimentmg can doorder thromosomes, the thread brick. which emit some radioarin ett with the mysterious rays. found that hke units of heredity. and alter their

• The natural hai kground at llarrn-they made a colleague's hair fall out tiny molecules of DNA ideoxyribonu.

hurg. pa, is Mi millirems an s ear. Just Todas scientists know that the radia.

cleic acida, w hose compwltion dictates atmut the same as the added man the shape of our desrendants made dose ( ahfano sap a llarrisburg tion from an X-ray tube strips cler.

W eum on an endnedual? Proba.

area resident may hate had in the first trons f rom-or "kmises"-the atoms of bly none, if the radiatmn n at low five dass followmg the nuclear an t cells. If the lonization is extensn e lesels, like the 20 or so milbrems-dent enough, it rearranges the cell's mole-thousandths of radiation umtwol an

.A resident of a high altitude t ats rule. and i.an kdl it average rhest X ray But one must sas hke lh'nser unasoidahl) gris nearl)

Tmlay, too, s(lentots know that "probably" none, for most scientots twice the natural liarrisburg dose or some tk) sutatantes in nature. like ra-think that a few indniduals expel to 147 mdhrems a sear, herause of more dium and uranium 2E and some 200 egen the smalle t amounts of iontring exposure to rosmic rap man made substances. are radioas tn e, radution pass on a doordernt hit of I'he aserage American gets t.alf his meaning they are gradually dism DN A to some descendant, or after 10 annual radiation dose from natural tegrating and shootmg off unseen. un.

or 20 ) ears des etop a rancer bac kground. and W per rent of the felt parterh s and rap that are phperal What arr the odds? For the 2 milhon rest from matical and dental radia-cousms of Wilhelm Roetsen's uancen people in mg uithm a Somile radius of tion thu-tors say armd unneeded mal rays.

1hree Mile Island, there should he no tral radutiem. arrept it when nern-Various radinartne substances, like ran ers at all, the radioartne emtv ury, smre the probable benefit out those produced m nuclear reactors.

stons were so small. Health. Educatmn ueighs the possible rnk 9 CllAPIB7

~

r a

A Watchful Eye

%p L.

On the Black Ink ie' v

t i

)

'T In the corporate imardrrwmt m Heat ern engineering it was the SIM md a

mg. where tne tottom hne is hlark ink.

hon srhitle that uould get Met Ed J

the long view about Metropolitan Edi stoi kholderf return on their mmt son Co. was uptwat. for gixwl reason ment back up near the 13 fl porrei t The dartmg of the sptem the new nu lesel allowed by the state public Uti.

[

ricar unit No. 2 at Three Mile Island, st) Commission in Iniger books u here i

had begu deliverms power last Dec.

blac k mk n measured in decimals.1972t p-M had not been all that gmxt-megauatt-

', p As books are balanced and tax laws hour sales were up atmut 7 Ivrt ent, I

w ritten. that datewne day before the but resenues rhmhed only 2 percent federal tax Scar ended-would play an The rate of return on iommon stm ks important role in the flow of black ink was 12.9 percent. down slightly from m Reading By gettme TMI 4 into ser-the 13 I percent of 1977.

vice 25 hours2.893519e-4 days <br />0.00694 hours <br />4.133598e-5 weeks <br />9.5125e-6 months <br /> before the new year. Met Met Ed is one of three clotric com-uanne emmiamme Ed saved itself upwards of $40 milhon pames that operate under the um Amon the Met td safets precautlens in taxes.

brella of GPU, and it owns half of the were radiat6en suits for the werkers For such decisions. rorporate ana-Three Mlle Island complex The other nagers win prane. Met Ed's annual re-partners are Jersey Central power &

effert the day after the an plenti port took note of the tax advantages Light Co. and the penns>1sania Eler.

hinged on petimg the plant snio opera-gained by putting TMI 2 into seruce.

tr6c Co Among them. they prmide t6on. The mmmer it went on the kne, Walter M Crests,the graying company most of the electricity used in penns>l.

the sooner the new rate vould be col president whe wears designer eyeglas-vania and New Jersey.

htted ses, wrote that that would make 1978 By gettmg TMI 2 mto service before And there were two other ronsidera "a memorable year."

the end of the Scar. Met Ed. as prince.

tions The rompans was able to riaim TMI 2 meant more to Met Ed and its pal operator of the plant stood to gam about $20 rmlhon for m monthi fed-parent holdmg company. General pute in three wap.

eral tax deprertation h3 puttme TMI 2 lic Utdattes Corp. 'GPUs of parsippany.

Its pending rate increase requmt into sersice before the end of the year.

N.J., than just another martel of mod with the state ta 19 percent boost took And accordme to data Met Ed ided

n with the Federal Energy Regulatory blems contieued after the plant was success, of course. is relatne and Commission, it espected to gam be.

put mto ser ice but. Creits said. they the accident has dealt a severe blow to tween $17 milhon and $28 milhon ir an.

had nothmg to do uith a rush for the etwtrical system's fmancial stabil-vestment tax credits-ahrect writeoffs.

money-Ity, esen though Met Ed has $33 mil-Creita conceded to reporters after "We certamly neser would hase put hon of habihty insurance on the plant the accident that Met Ed had gamed it in service unless ac were consinced GPU has stopped all but the most critt tax advantages by gettmg TMl 2 into it could he safely operated." Creiti cal construction work to ronsers e cash service in 1978. But he and John G.

said.

it may need for rehabihtation GPU lierbem. his via e president for power The NRC. In its prehmmary reports.

stock that was selhne at 17 teths be.

generation. insisted that there had said that human errors as well as trou-fore the disaster cimed at 14 on Aprtl 6 been no " rush" to beat the calendar at ble with vahen withm the planrs cool-The bottom hne still is written in i

the expense of safety.

ing system were major contributors to blac k ink. Six days after the accident, Yet the record suggested questions.

the accident. Warning signals had GPU Chairman William G. Kuhns has Between March 28. 1978 wher the shown up earher. In January. TMI 2 tened to reassure stor kholders Pubhc chain reaction began m the nucicar mas shut down for two meeks because health and safety were beme dealt unit, and its Det ember entry into com.

of problems with the coohng system uith at the plant he wrote m a mi.

mercial service. the plant had been But the men at Med Ed apparently meographed letter which included a shut down for repairs 195 of the 274 felt confident The NRC had hcensed lengthy report on the fmannal pu-days-71 percent of the time. That was the plant in February 1978 after a der-ture.

not t>pical of the industry as a whole.

ade of hawling and cituen protests in Kuhns' letter did not mention this whnh reports about a 40 percent mal.

Dauphin County And in september.

among the steps taken to preser e Met function rate during early reactor Deputy Energy Secretary John F.

Ed s fiscal integrity The firm ruled operations. And during those 274 days, O't.eary had flown to Three Mile Is-that pregnant emplo)es who were esa Met Ed found problems that were sima land to dedicate the plant as another cuated from the radiation danger ar'a tar to those that occurred on the day

" success"in the nation's effort to wean would not be paid for time away fre m of the Big Accident. Operating pre itself from dependency on oil work e

~

An O 3en Conflict I

em Over Authority V

4, By Saturday morning the two cen.

openly. The crisis would net tw o cr.

-8 tral institutions m the Three Mile ts-he said, until the reactor was in a state h

land crisis, the corporation and the of cold shutdown. One problem fler-

\\

federal agency charged with regulat.

bein failed to mention was that mside ing tt. were draumg into open confhrt the reactor the ox) gen level in the with ea< h other The corporation was bubble was chmbmg. thereby height-Metropohtan Edison, the federal enmg danger of a gas explosion.

[

wanchman was the Nuclear Regulatory lierhem retreated from his carher

,/

Commission prediction that cold shutdown would it was a famihar Wersary drama be achieved withm a day. Now, he ac-f g

and the press. ' clamoring msist-knowledged, it would be a matter of g

i,r g

ence, poked er.

ed at the unden-dayt ing public conetions between the "We attempted to tell the president

-F two sets of briefmg officials and the country to the best of our abil-

{,

At 11 a m Met Ed president Walter ity what me thought was happening."

.y M Cresta held what he announced to said the utthty executne "This is the mu rm, be the last preu conference the utihty first time.1 guess.that anythmg of this The NRC's Denton assumed respen,6 would hold ths tone was terse and magmtude has happened "

bility and controleser the operat6ons subdued. Only a few in the room knew Denton. In a later interview. de.

that the White llouse had decreed that scrthed in s> mpathetic terms the the NRC would assume the role of pub-pksht of Met Ed when he arrned to "Smce I'm the director of the office he explamer for the balance of the take mer, at Washm**~

direction of nuclear reactors. I can issue, modif) crisis period. In effect the company "I was deahng with. Rte chaos."

or suspend heenses." Denton said r*

had been told to shut up by the admm-he said "They iMet Edi were fightmg peatedly through the days. "So I neser istration, which held full licensing fires They were trying to cope with all had any doubt that if I didn't hke the pow ers mer the plant.

the demands bemg placed on them w ay they were runnmg it. l could issue turn to.,v didn't have enough staff to an order on the spot."

and the The transfer of responsibihty for tel-hng the Three Mile Island story to the pubhc was made at back taback press "I was concerned that they were so Mean w hile, in Washington. NRC conferences. first by Metropohtan Eds-thin techmcally at that time, that I Chairman Joseph llendrie was muing son and then a separately scheduled couldn't fmd anyone who would give prim news. Residents of the central session by liarold R. Denton. the NRC's me the kind of information I would Pennsylvania area around Three Mile chief for reactor safety.

have expected." Denton said. "And I islan 1 ought to be prepared to evacu-Met Ed's Creitz turned the floor over was gettmg more hard facts from my ate from a downutnd swatch of up to 20 mdes Since no one would know to John flerhein, a vice president of staff in terms of analysis and potential the utility, who told the conference seriousness than I could get out of which may the wind would blow, it was the farthesteut evacuation warn that the deadly gas bubble in the reac-them "

tor had dropped in size Friday night As the NRC officials who were arriv.

ing yet and stretched the perimeter from 1.000 to Six) cubic feet. The NRC ing at the scene in greater numbers for evacuation to cover tslo.iX10 per-5"DS-pubhcly disagreed, saymg there had began taking a more direct role. how-been no significant shrmkage.

eser. Metropohtan Edison rehelled Just before 830 p m. came the fmal t

Reporters, openly skeptical of D t Durma one angry encounter with straw. Associated Press sent out an ur-I Ed reassurances that everything uas Denton, Metropohtan Edison officials gent story warnmg that the bubble sit-under control, now battered lierbein threatened to pull all of their opera uation ahd become extremly danger-with questions They extracted from tors and techmcal personnel out of the ous. In fact, the story warned, the un-him the information that the compa-Three Mile Island plant and dump the named experts were warning that the ny's engmeers had to abandon their ef-mhole mess into the NBC's lap. The bubble might explode at any minute.

forts to shrink the bubble for 2%

company retreated from its threat.

Denton. on his way to brief Gov.

hours for fear of a hydrogen gas explo-But by the end of the week. while Richard Thornburgh at the Capitol.

sion.

NRC officials continued to pay lip ser-was hastily taken before the skeptical lierbein nonetheless insisted that "I vice to the notion that Metropohtan and by-now pankky press in the Caps-personally think the crisis is over."

Edtson was making the decisions suth tot to assure them that the situation At his ow n press conference an hour ject to their approvalit was clear whe w as not that critical e later. Denton contradicted lierbein w as really calhng the shots.

vama Gov.

Rxhard Thornburgh 9

warned area residents to take cover, the commuruty of Falmouth, a mile or so south of the plant, herame a ghost town Helen Rank. reportmg for the w eekly in nearb> Fhia bethtow n.

3 stopped in the village to conduct mter.

TIIgi O

. /Ighf I (1 Al' TC stew She found ot.ly a reporter from u ELE UK JO Washington. D C.

They eschanged news and took notes.

Looking back on it. Jim lhll. a re.

li O]L 1I1I porter for the York Daily Hecord. a paper pubhshed about a doren mil 6 from the island. wrote "After three days feedmg on the carcass of Three The press, no matter its national-the Railroad flouse, a Middletown bar Mile Island. I was beginnmg to feel as sty, thrives on red meat. Red meat is adjacent to the Penn Central tracks. as ugly as what I ate. There was nothing disaster. tragedy. confin't-w ars. assas-the place to go to rub shoulders with debrious about this storyJ sination, a Jonestown massacre. ex workers from the plant. Wrkers uere lhlt uas right. There was nothing de-plodma coal mines.

not all that commumcative-many felt licious about the story. It was a pain-The Three Mile Island nuclear acci-the press was blowing the incident out fut, distasteful one for some, who dent was red meat of a sort neser be-of proportion feared its potential. Reporters them-fore experienced by the press: all the No wonder. An NBC camera crew selses could be s ectims of the ultimate fine fiber of a Dilmomco 11 was a showed up at the har to film the scene disaster. Unlike a war or a riot. where story of technology run amok. man of distraught workers crying in their refuge can be found from bullets and forced from his he me by the peaceful beer. The network men pla)ed the brk ks. there was no refuge from in-atom. the prospect of a stretch of the same jukehox song user and oser to usible tasteless, odorless radiation if eastern seaboard bems turned into an provide appropriate sound backup the unthmkable happened at Three irradiated wasteland.

Not long after that. an ABC crew Mile Island. If there was a core melt It was a heiluva story and the media showed up with the same idea They down m the reactor, radiation would turned out in force. They came from fed coins into the jukebox. pla> mg the not discriminate.

around the world to witness this same country song again to get just the Most editors understood that home "esent." as the nudear technicians right effect itent m radiation exposure badges for were callmg it, and they came m Middletown dealt with these intru their staffs Others rotated reporters droses.

sions in good spirit. A downtown mer-in and out of the area as a precaution By consersatne estimates, there chant reacted to the ubiquitous com-agamst possible overexposure. AP were 310 journahsts and medta techni-era crews with his own spoof. lie sta shipped breathing des nes and nrotte clans on the scene. No one knew who tioned a youngster with a mmicamera tive clothing for its staf fers all of them were, where they all came maide the front wmdow. filming pa+

The fear was real Jack Knarr. a from or how many there were, but it sersby and projecting the image onto a columntst for the Philadelphia Jour-was plam that few red meat esents large TV screen facmg the street At nal, stayed at home. lie wrote a piece had ever drawn this kmd of attention.

Karl Kupp's dmer, a gatherme spot saying "these people are nuts " An It was a media event of such dimen that features homebaked pies and clas-editor wanted him to go to liarrisburg sion that the Columbia Journahsm sie smalltown hanter. outef town re-and Knarr said no wa>.

Reuem sent two reporters to write a porters were Joshed by Kupp and Paul Critchlow the governor s press piece about the reporters. Rothng patrons ahke. For all the grimness of secretary, saw it from another angle.

Stone magazme contracted with Ahke esents unfoldmg down the road at Ile remembered the Saturday nicht.

j Gray, an engmeer who did the screen Three Mile Island. Middletown could just after 9 o'cloc k. when the Awxi play for "The Chma Sy ndrome." to tell smile at itself and these newsgathering ated Press reported that the hydrogen the story of Three Mile Island-. nillin-strangers.

bubble in the reactor was about to ex-gly similar to his film fantas).

The logistics became an enormous plode.

The rruted States. Canada. England.

problem. M hen President Carter de-

"About 20 or 31 reporters burst West Germany, Japan France, Aus-cided to visit Middletown. the gym m through the door of this office " he I

traha. Switzerland. Denmark. Sweden the borough ball uas conserted mto a said. "They said % e want to know if i

-all were represented Radio and tel press center by the Nuclear Regula-our lis es are m d.~ger. What the hell s evasion independents and notuorks tory Commission. The daily press brief-somg on here? We want to know if ue Lirge papers. small papers. magazmes ings were held there. almost as rau-hase to get out!.. They were pale i

Yans from Action News and Eyewit-cous as the briefmes by Three Mile 1s-They were frightened At that point.

ness News and See it Now cruised the land operator Metropohtan Edison Co..

they had lost an interest m the stor) streets of Middletown and hned the and SRC press aide Joe Fouchard they were supposed to be coseringr road across from Three Mile Island.

pleaded with the reporters to " disci-There was cloak-a'iddacrer stuff.

Camera crewa roamed through httle pline > ourselves "

too, w hk h would be humorous in mov-Middletow n.

Because of the complexity of the les but was even richer m reahty. One Mayor Robert Reid. an easygomg story. NRC brought press assistants night, alerted by a rumor that Carter and gracious schoolteacher, said he from field offices around the country.

was arrtstng any moment. a gaggle of gave at least 100 interviews. lie took They were available to answer techni-photographers burst out of Lombar-calls from a!! over the country and cal questions. and often did so with do's restaurant in flarrisburg. cach tot-from abroad ths fellow townsmen ad-careful detail But even the flacks had ing uneaten. expensive. !tahan dinners justed to the invasion as w ell as he did problems

• 1 fmally did something h doggv bass Another evenmg tuo They willingly gave interviews and right." said NRC's Karl Abraham after Philadelphia Inquirer reporters mont-many kept count of whnh papers and arrangmg with a printer to have a tored a radio consersation between l

which stations had sought their sleus briefmg transcript delivered in 90 two Met Ed employes on a sec ret chan A civil defense worker who was pic-minutes. The printer missed his dead.

nel. The) were talkma about a leak of tured in Newsw eek's post accident line by several hours and reporters hydrogen " Shut the damn thmg down I

coverage u as teasmgly called " star" by were seethmg Abraham could only and quit screw mg around " one man his pals A drugatore clerk. having shrug his shoulders said. The next day, the NRC's llarold read her remarks in a newspaper.

NRC's words and those of anyone Denton mas startled w hen the lnquirer thanked a reporter the next day for else who was quoted were sent to the reporters read him a transcript of the the " miracle" of quoting her correctly.

outside uorld by telephone, facsimile confidential comersion lie explained.

She said it with a smile.

machine, radio, air. NBC ferried its after hearmg the details. what w as The volume of material sent from crews between a motel and the plant gomg on. No rr*at revelation.

the area was prodigious. Major news-site by heheepter. The New York If it was a fear mspirmg story,it also papers printed two. four, eight stories Times sent an editor from the home of-was a confusmc and comphrated one each day on the event. "he Philadel-fice to direct its news team. One organ-for most reporwrs. unschooled in the phia Inquirer sent more than a dozen ization dedicated an editor fulltime to language and the complexities of nu-reporters to turn out a special section barassmg Pennsylvania Bell until it in.

clear science The Chicago Tribune each day. Durmg the daytime cycle on stalled a telephone in the Middletown hired a profeer as a tc< hnical ad Friday, March 30-the tense day of the press center for private use of the viser. A network did hkewise. It was.

hydrogen bubble crisis--4he Associ-newspaper. Newsweek had a team of ultimately, a story m which answers ated Press rewrote its lead story a nine on the scene. CBS more than 40 could be presided only by a small record 27 times becauw of the fast-Reporters in some cases ended up in-groupof experts changing situation.

terviewmg each other. In Middletown, Before tne NRC on Sunday. April 1.

Just as unrelenting was the quest for a 'IT crew photographed two repor-took over the sole role of issutng for-local color, the seasoning of red meat ters standmg on a corner eatme shces mal statements, confusion and contra-stories. Reporters quickly identified of pizza. On the Friday when Pennsyl-diction had been rampant. Met Ed s

i press conferences degenerated into down with Lt. Gov. William Scranton had detected radiation. What about it' shout -* Matches. frustrated and bel-III to explam the situation lic Oh. )es, llerhein ac knowledged. be-hger' *.

v ters challengmg John provided an "encouragmg picture."

tween 11 a m. and 130 p m. the com-lierbek company's vice president Critchlow said. with "the situation pany has been putting gas into the air for power curation.

Very much under control" No radia.

above the island Ifad lierbein told the Herbem brought it on himself, in a tion emissions, he reported Then the press? "They didn't ask." he told j

way. IIis stpe was clear on the after.

state people confronted him Their Critchlow.

noon of the first day, when he sat own environmental resources teams An osersight. for certam e CllAPHRII

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President and if rs. Carter, with the % Rt"s Denton, and Gov. Thornburgh, get briefing from control room employe during i

ant A Presidential Tour to Calm Fears in the gymnasium of Newman thgh of the radioactive ventmgwthat the when seseral of Carters technical S hool m Wausau. Wis. the White crisis "will probably lead toward even questions could not he answered, the House telephone rang more stringent safety and design president asked one official drily. "Do Stuart Etzenstat was callmg from mechanisms and standards "iTo some.

3 0u thmk there is anyone there fat the I

Washington with an idea egen on his own staff, it had evoked sitel w ho knows u hat's gome on'"

i The president was, for the moment, memories of Carter's old statement in Aboard Air Force One. Carter dis-unavailable, he was up at the micrn the tobacco lands of Nor'n Carolina cussed Etienstat's suggestion with phone chutning has way through a about how he hoped cigarettes could Jody powell.

Democratic fund raiser speech of he made "even safer."

Among the factors that fed into the standard fare-heavy on the pohtics.

And yet Carter was personally very decision makmg was Carter's behef i

and not a mention of the crisis at the concerned about the problem at the that the media had exaggerated the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant.

nuclear plant and he uas surely better dancers and had unduly alarmed the Eizenstat. the president's domestic equipml than any previous president pubhc. In his autobiography, Carter pohry chief, dictated his thoughts to or any pohtical figure to take a leader-nad written of his " confidence in the 1

Susan Clough, who is the president's ship role for the crisis. He had cam.

safety of the reactors whnh we stud-personal secretary and was travehng paigned for the presidency by tellmg ied and operated" He did not hke to with him that Saturday. March 31.

people he was a nuclear physicist and see that confidence shaken by others t

Etzenstat's idea: Carter should go to nuclear engmeer. And he had written less mformed than he l

Three Mile Island to personally tour in his autobiography. "Why Not The on Friday, Carter had ordered his the orippled reactor site Best?." about his role with an early staff to assemble all of the television i

Carter read Elzenstat's suggestion Navy crisis team tnat had helped disas.

coverage of the nuclear power plant on Air Force One, while flymg to the semble a damaged reactor core at a events from the previous evening's next site of his day of pohtKking.

plant in Canada.

news ard th.t mornmg's he watc hed nearby Mais aukee Behmd the scenes he had been tak-videotapes of the entire coverage of all The memo was short and to the ing an active part in the management three networks at notm.

int. Corter should go to Three Mile Fstand because his visit would demon-of the crisis. No sooner had the Nu-

"There are too many people talk-clear Itegulatory Commission's Harold ing." Carter had told powell back in strate his concern for the crisis at it. Denton arrived at the plant site Washington "And my impression is hand and it would reassure peop;e in than he was pulled from his imtial that half of them don't Know what the area about their own safety.

briefmg there to take a call from the they are talking about.. Get those l'p until then, Carter had not said president. Carter had questioned him people to speak uith one voice."

much nor done much in the way of at length and often, askmg specific Yet. as Carter view ed it. the exagger.

personal, visible actions of concern and technscal questions, and fmally ated coverage had contmued. raising about the crisis. He had voiced his con-they had made it a rnatter of routme pubhc fears the level of pubhc under.

cern through spokesmen and had den.

that Denton would call Carter at 745 standing.

Ignated his aides to do all they could a m. and 345 p.m. each day to brief "I'rn inchned to go." Carter told his But his pubhc comment had been hm-him on the techmcal state of the reac-press secretary "Why don't you call ite I to one statement to a group of edt-tor Denton and fmd out if that would ton at the White House on the Friday During one of the earliest briefings.

cause any problems."

D*[D A((MdII[

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i in Milwaukee Carter went about the Sunday mornmg. Wise handed Car-wet my pants."

ritual of pohticking. beginning with a ter a schedule for the visit and Carter Carter then traseled to his news con.

e-ception for Rep. Clement Zablocki approved it Meanshne. Jessica Tuth-ferente m the black presidential lim-and movmg on to a second for the or-man Matthews, the National Security ousme, movmg past about 1.tse per-ganizers of the evening's Jefferson.

Council's staff expert on the affair.

sons hnmg the sides of West Emaus Jac kson Day dmner.

had written a memo for the president Street They c heered his arnval and he Meanshile, Powell telephoned Den on the situation at the plant site.

grinned as he climbed ou A headed ton. Should the president come?

Carf ?r attended church, returned to mto the borough hall. lie stopped and "Yes." Denton rephed

~1 think it the White llouse, and hoarded Marine drew more cheers by shakmg a couple would be a great help" One for an hour long hehcopter fbght of hands.

Powell uanted to make sure that to Harrisburg. En route. his aides Inside his speech was short and reas-Denton was not merely trying to be wrote remarks that Carter would F1se surma. lie stood before a le< tern set bureaucraticall) rorrect. ~l don't want in Middletown. Pa The remarks were out just beyond the foul Ime on the to pressure you." Powell said "I could show n in advance to Thornburgh. w ho gymnasium floor. The gym. attached i

tell the president your initial inchna-suggested some changes that were to the borough town ha!! is a worn tion is yes, but )ou want time to con-made.

structure and for the occasion of the sult with people."

The president, accompanied by his president's visit the gray hieachers But Denton rephed quickly. "No I wife. landed at the Air National Guard had been pushed hack i

don't need more time. I can guarantee facihty in Middletow n. three miles up-While the prendent spoke there you 11 would be very positive."

wind from the cooling towers. and was were cheers commg through the gym Powell told Carter of Denton's en-met by Thornburgh and Denton The windows as Rosalynn worked the thusiastic response Meanshile, there NRC expert briefed Carter on the situ-crowd outside, comforting residents.

was another bit of information that ation at the site. Meanwhile. the chief Carter was flanked by Thornburgh had reached the tras ehng White of the Air National Guard fire depart-and Lt. Governor William Scranton 111 llouse. It.was the latest wire seruce ment. Charles Kline. was tellms a re-during the twominute speech and left advisory.

porter that Carter's sisit " has helped after the gosernor stepped up to the fIARRISBf'RG. Pu MPJ-Federal morale tremendously up here-they lectern to thank him for comme officials sauf Saturday mght that the thmk if it s safe for the president of Carter mosed right into the waltma gas butMe insufe the crip;ded nuclear the United States to come up. It's not hmo after he left the gym and drose reactor at Three Afde 15fand is show.

too bad."

away uhile the crowd was still clap ing signs of becoming potentially er-The presidential motorcade drose to ping and cheering.

Josit c.

comphcating deciswns on the Three Mile Island plant gates Some people were not impressed utether r. ount raky operation to where the president. the First Lady.

"What has he got to do with all this' remore the pas and the rest of the party were issued said Carl Lonkart. a 4hearold iron-Offinals said earher that tens of yellow plastic shoecovers which would worker who helped work on the plant thou. ands of peo;4e might hat'e to be prevent them from trackmg around "It's just good politics "

et'acuated if engineers decided to try radioactivity that might be on the 14 earold Fred Lynch. who But 3

so remore the bubNe. operations that ground The booties were sealed by coulri risk a meltdown of the reactor tape to their p'ntlegs. and then they (r

tr,a f

Ih" e;

p gnt of I j

awf the release of highly rudwacture were gisen radiation dosimeters t materialieto the a rmosphere.

measure the cumulatise dose of United States doesn't Iust walk mto a But the Nuclear Regulatery Com-itamma rays absorbed at the plant. One comfortable,lt kmd of makes you feel danger area misuon sauf Saturday night that it reporter's dostmeter read 6 milbroent-might be equally risky not to try the sens when he put it on, and 7 milh.

On April 6. Carter discussed his trip operations, because the bubNe showed toentgens u hen he lef t the plant uith a group of editors at the White signs of gradually turning into a po.

Carter spent a total of 36 mmutes in llouse. ".. ] felt perfectly safe last tentially er;dosme mixture that could the plant.15 of that m the control Sunday when I was in the control u-reck the atready damaged reactor room bemg briefed by officials. Its room just a hundred feet away from Sonie presidential aides still steam walls are hned with (ontrol panels and the reactor core itself. The lesel of ra.

when they remember that story. "That detorated by a picture of a haby that is diation uas carefully monitored esen AP ptece was the crownme blow." one captioned "Sometimes I don't know before they found out the president aide said. "The president felt that the woether to cry m) eyes out. scream,or was commg slaughtern e information had been in general hand led irresponsibly-mishandled-and I

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it was frightetiing a lot of people lie I;y 3.. y wanted to show the pubhc that it was b.

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not dangerous."

Inside the sterile, cavernous Mil-

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Center. Carter began )et another poht-

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scal potboiler ef a speech In the ress s-area, the members of the White 1 ouse

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yy press corps half hstened. bore <1 at the V

E thought of sittmg through still one

.(g, j more stemwinder and stili complam-

. n ing isome of them) about how difficult it had been to turn that earlier speeco

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m Wausau into something that would resemble a news story for the first ede L.

tions (there is this feehng. somehow.

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that if Sou make a presidential trip

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y produce newst Tu enty minutes into his spect h. Car.

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p ter gave his press corps their nev.s j

t hm "As you know, we have presently a y

J very serio':s problem with one of the V'

J atomic power plants on Three Mile Is-land in Pennsylvania. I have just had ff y

t word from that site that the situation is still stable and slowly improving.

But many p'ie in that region have y.-

been severely cightened. and the

-1 I crists is not yet ovec... In the near f u-

"' Q ture. I will be goma to Three Mile Is-j r

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land to learn personally about the situ-g p l g'

atton there..."

1 Carter would be going the next day.

d 3 Carter's aides began making the ar-

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rangements. They called Denton from Carter and Gosernor Thornbur[h inspect the control r m during half hour men sec e a h1 '

o ed on visit to the plant. Later, the president would speak to reassure rendents.

I the logistics of it all. Powell arranged fer press coserage.

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On the Gas Bubble PW The growth of the hydrogen bubble bubble? Was there any behum in it?

Reise pressere inside reestee and its mherent threat of a meltdown How much oxygen' %as the pressure alarmed the engineers at the Nuclear fluctuatmg inside the reactor? liy 9 hoping to seMepse bubble, Regulatory Commission as much as o rlock Friday night. EG & G was gie,,mn, g, into water being p, peg,,,

any smale incident after the onset of revivmg up its expertmental rephca of the accident.

a nuclear plant to simulate the bubble "The princip11 problem we have and test a few solutions.

right now is to work out a mears of Five technicians went to work mak-0 N 2:

dealmg with that gas bubble /* NRC irg the Idaho Falls rephca look as Chairman Joseph M. llendrie had said much hke Three Mile Island as the)

, y in a weary vonc at a crowded news could. The Idaho Falls facility has a Fusa ros Premon conference Saturday afternoon at core heated with electricity instead of

)

NRC headquarters in Bethesda "We uranium. whu h makes it safe for tet h-MA OK have to get that gas hubble out of the mcians to simulate engineerme pro.

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reactor 7 blems on a small scale.

The day before, early Friday after-Modifications took fase hours to

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noon. Sol Inme, head of the NRC's complete. Sometime early Saturday reactor safety divtsion. called the En-morning. nitrogen gas was injected ergy Department's Idaho National En-into the Idaho Falls reactor and c,o,.

e, smeering Laboratory 60 miles west of quickly formed a hubble that approxi-Idaho Falls and told it to crank up mated in sue the best estimate of the some schemes for gettmg rid of the bubble bac k at Three Mile Island.

p,.,

hubble. Intne called EG & G in Idaho At the same time, engineers at EG &

Falls, a major gosernment contractor G were working through the night in 1

emploimg 1010 nuclear technicians.

conference rooms. chalkmg on black-p,,,,,,,,

,,,,,gn, to help come up with solutions to the boards options for collapsing the troublesome bubble.

bubble and ventmg the hydrogen. At 7 enty top of core end siphon Engmeers had told Lesine there a m Saturday, crews began to run the est,,, bubble with coolent were four ways of deahng with the first tests. A computer named Puff.

hubble, all involving some risk. The the Magic Dragon. sent out 240 sepa-two simplest plans were fasored One rate prmtouts of information on what called for ransmg the pressure inside was happening mside the rephca of OP N 3:

the reactor in an attempt to collapse Three 5 tile Island.

the bubble and dissohe it m the water Meanuhile at Three Mile Island.en-floodmg the reactor room If the couragmg news was developmg con-pu p,,w,,

bubble dissobed. it could be pumped cerning the reactor for the first time out with the coolant into waste water The bubble had stopped growing and atActot tanks outside the reactor.

began to shrmk. Early Sunday morn-g n Another plan was to lower the pres-ing. the day President Carter decided

@"" g d7O sure, a safer pncedure in itself but a to visit Three Mile Island. the bubble f b. Y

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riskier one in the long run because appeared to hase shrunk from IM 9 mmE 4 lowermg the pressure would expand cubic feet. down to 30 cubic feet and l!

$4ea m the bubble. exposing more of the rear-then to 650 cubic feet.

M tor core. The attraction of this plan

"% hen the president arrived," the was hat an attempt then could be NRC's Denton said. "we had seen a made to siphon out the bubble with noticeable < hange "

the coolant water.

Denton decided to treat w hat b"'

Two other plans were discussed, seemed hke good news with caution both esen riskier than the first Iwo, The only method technicians could use One was to " sink" the bubble by drop-to measure the bubble's size was im Drop water Spel,

• sinking" pmg the water level. exposing most of precise, mvolvmg as it did a possibihty bubble by fleeding eeettee the core, then flooding the reactor for error that ranged up to 2110 cubic with fresh wever, with fresh water. The fourth option feet.

w as to restart the reactor and create so "I wL afraid of being too optimistic, much heat the the water would flash Denton said "And when the data came to steam to saturate the bubble and down. I knew everyone wanted it to OP N 4:

break it.

come down so much that I wanted to h'

This last plan uas dropped almost as be sure they weren't forcing their i

soon as it uas proposed Engmeers views to come true "

paa 1

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pomted out that so many of the fuel By Sunday night, another piece of p %, f

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rods had been bent and crumbled that good news came from Three Mile 15-rtacion there uas no guarantee they could res.

land. Engineers concluded that their g

tart the reactor. Die control rods that early calculations on how much oxy-

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move in and out of the reactor to start gen might be in the reactor were too or stop the cham reaction p.Jbably high. And while a hydrogen bubble is

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were also damaged bad,it as worse if a certain amount of

$4** w "There's a chance the rods are da-oxygen joins the bubble and creates j,

maged and won't fit back in and might the spark for an explosion not come back out when you wanted Despite the encouragmg new signs, them to." one NRC official had said however, the NRC went ahead with Friday night. "There's also the chance preparations for uhat surely would D

the rods might scrape on something have been a risky maneuver to get rid and start a spark that could ignite the of the bubble later in the weel Plans i

hy drogen bubble."

still were bemg drawn up to evacuate I""'""d'8

Back in Idaho Falls, technicians at the entire region around Three Mile Is-

'"'e'hb,** "'hvW"o.

'3d h EG & G flooded the NRC engineers in land. Privately. Denton uas tellme col-W stemn bondag Middletown uith questions. How bag leagues to pick a day, a time of day and uas the bubble? Where was it likely to a state of readiness: Operation Bubble be? How much hydrogen was in the w as still a strong possibihty. s se nam numm-n, munview ro.,

l l

i State officials would then contact F

9l county ciul defense authorities. who l

would spread the word to their emer.

O gency teams The state. through radio

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.e and teleusion stations. would w orn the D

puhhe, I

But federal of fu ials. w ho were monitoring developments at the plant.

had their own contmcency for issumg a warning-agreed upon by President 5,

Carter. Joseph llendrie. thairman of the Nuclear Regulator) Commission.

and liarold R Denton. the NRC's top man on the scene. If there was time.

Denton would callllendrie who would e

call Gov. Thornburgh if there wasn1 Denton u as to call the gmernor direct N

[<N As the planning contmued a se-

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quente of esents wt into motion an in cremental es acualmn yg' g

On Friday. Thornburgh recom Y-jp3

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\\e+g't s

d mended that pregnant women and 3 a e

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prev honi children uithm fise miles of N

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%OS the plant leave the area The sancuard of women and children gathered at hg stoc kpiled with rots. blankets ud liershey Sports Arena. u hn h had been I

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fomt.

On Saturdav, llendrie warned that A

esacuatmn of an area 10 to 20 miles from the plant might he necessary he cause of the bubble of h>drocen gas l

c,ma pr. im,muow l

$birley Flowers reads of possible Harrisburg esodus, ponders going to 4irginia By the weekend. thousands of people-estimates ranged from 80ini to 2niUilo-soluntaril) had left their homes for safer ground. Their depar 12 4

ture would lessen the t'haos of an) off r cial s order to evacuate.

Still. everyone knew that an evacua-tion could bring the ultimpe traffic e a e

Jam that would turn an orderly disper.

S1pl q gwy31 g

sat into a knot of unlent confusion it

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left open the danger of lootmg.11 YY I L meant Imt money-through lost wages. lost sales and insurance pay-ments to those ordered to leave. ' Es ac-e I

uation is not somethmc sou undertake

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lighti)." Thornburgh w'ould sa) later Olw Y g(j ( g g ]

in a startling understatement But by the time President Carter ar-As the weekend passed the con-The responsibility for such a plan ris ed in Penns>lvama on Sunday, centric circles on the esacuatmn maps rested with the state Emergency Stan evacuation had been brought t^ the at the Pennsylvania Emergency Stan-agement Agency. Its top officials are agement Agency rippled farther and former militar) officers Col Oren K brink of inesitabdity It would be a fanher out from the bullseye of Three llenderson. who carried with him the "p~ cautionary" esacuation affectmg remdents up to 20 miles downuind of Mile Island.

notoriety of association with the Mstai Three miles. 5 miles,10 miles.15 maccarre in Detnam, Col Cherle, the plant it would come just before the soentists attacked the bubble of miles.20 miles. On Sunday the last rma ICharhen Crowe. a blunt no nonsense was added, sweeping in eserythtng West Pomt graduate. Clarence Deller, hydrogen gas Eseryone knew:It uould come Tues-uithm 25 miles of the wounded atomic a former Nav> captain.

The agency had been gearme up day.e plant since Deller first receased word at 702 it all looked very tidy.

But no one in authority wanted to a m. Wednesday that there was an f

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see the precision of maps and charts emergency at Three Mile Island.

[

put to the ultimate test. No one, least Everyone soon learned that. m an of all Gov. Richard Thornburgh, emergency, they could move swiftly.

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"Before this,if someone had asked me w anted an evacuation In the division of later for managmg how long it would take this office to

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s k[ q2 '. g k 2'J the accident.Thornburgh had but ore prepare a leer 24 mile evacuation. I

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real responsibility, but it was in many would hase responded that, with a ways the most awesome. lie alone concentrated effort, we could do it in

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'8-could trigger the (xodus of hundreds seseral months /* Henderson said later.

of thousands of Pennsylvanians from "But with everyone pitching in to their homes. Almost as much as the gether,it took us only a few days."

reactor itself. Thornburgh could pro-Each colored circle on the maps on duce-through a mistake in judgment the agency's walls meant more. more or a miscalculation in timing-a disas-people to move out. more evacuation centers to designate. more food. beds.

A I

ter.

clothmg and other supphes to requisi-p There is, in truth, something com-U0 I

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monplace ahout esacuations. In almost e cu on f mone withm

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I any month, some Americans some' five miles of the plant would af fect 24 - k

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where are forced from their horaes by 522 people. Ten miles meant 133.672 disaster-by fkind or mud or a train Twenty meant 636.073 That's u here it D-wreck that releases a cloud of noxious stood l>riday evenmc.

w chemicals. But most of them are noth'

" Suddenly out of the clear-blue sky

. ~ '

-4' ing compared to the task facing Thorn' you were fa'ced with planning on a' hurgh in the early days of the crisis much wider magmtude" lienderson

1. ef 3

said. Still, there was a set sequence on %

3 Late Friday after telling area resi-paper for launching the exodus. Under dents that there would be no evacua-the most normal condition, the state tion for the time being. he was talking Department of Environmental Resour-y privately to a reporter. Ilow do you ac-ces would notify fienderson if radia-tually move hundreds of thousands of tion lesels were dangerously high.

i people out of the area, the reporter llenderson would tell the heutenant amoemeerm wondered. I don't know, the governor governor, who uould tell the gover-Telet>pe is clicking at emergency plans rephed, but there is a plan.

nor, who uould make the dension.

center in sub basement of capitol.

gom ]D *D 3~V "!

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Wednesday and talkmg to dozens and l

Il ll dorens of people with problems ~%e l

g put our faith and confidence in these officials They say it's stable. but that's j

not enough?'

R3an was prudent enough to hase I-IA yQgf1D

]g J ) p the two children and go to the sports ghen his daughter some adme. Take

)

17 5ams% a BU L

J v arena at Hershey to wait it out, he had L/

told her when Gov. Richard Thorn burgh made the suggestion Friday be-7*~

cause of the radioactn11y. She did 1

111 UTQ T But by then. Associated prco repor Y Y CE ters were getting the same informa tion as the ertlyralling ry 'arters th i

10 a' clock they were read >tng bulleim l

maternal that would take the word across the country. Minutes later, the Middl. ^own did not sleep easily Around 7 a m. he routmely checked dispatch was torn from the uire ma Sunday night. But it could hase in uith Metropohtan Fdison He heard, chme at a Harrisburg radio station. An The sisit by President Carter almost in disbehef, that the bubble w as announcer read the news at 10:n the momentarily hfted the town's saggmg nearly gone. Another call to the NRC hydrogen bubble was nearly gone and spirits, but the residents went to bed office confirmed what the utthty com coohng of the reactor was contmuing that night with more on their minds pany was saying - yes. It seemed to be Then came the music and it someha than presidential good wishes dimishma NRC's presidmg official at seemed just right 1 hey pla>rd %u They were still thinking atmut the the ute Harold R Denton, would hase Light (*p My Life."

bubble.

more to say later in the mornmg. R3 an Through these fne days of umrr l'ntd that bubble rould be chased was told tain crists there had twen httle sign of safely from the core of the reactor. the R)an and other afternoim paper re.

panic. There had been that rush residents of Middletown - and thou porters with loomme deadhnes were around the capitol Friday morning sands of their nearby netghborn -

tapping into the first big break in the when the air raid siren went off.1 tere faced the terrible prostect of an esac.

story. But there were cascats Smce was t*te buildmg tension throughout uation. It could come slowly and or.

Saturday Met Ed had been munled. tn Friday and all day Saturday, the fear derly or,if thmgs suddenly changed in effect, and its of fsetals were keepmg a that the mysterious powerful bubble the reactor, it could come in an in-In profile. sa>mg as httle as possible.

would be the fmai detenation of disa&

stant.

On top of that was the compan> s ter. But panic, there just wasn't any.

the bubble, as if by an act of presiden credibihty record Smce Mednesday it Those whe were leaving left u tthout taal esorrism, might shp silently aw ay had been a case of Met Ed saying one rush, by ones, twos and threes. In fam-On Friday afternam. E C. McCabe, thing. NRC another 11 was vantage t!y groups s

an official of the Nuclear Regulatory confusion and contradition. as puz Butch Ryan kneu why it was that Commimon. was talkmg to two trpor-rhng to the pubic as the press w a) Dauphm County, for esample, i

ters about the bubble, which then was At Middletown's borough hall. chil had hattled the floodmg Sus 3uchanna turning the accident at Three Mdc is.

defense director Donald diutchi Ryan in 1/12 and again in ItC5 Ine losses land into a crisis McCabe described to and irv Strobn ker. w ho had imed up were severe. and while no one ever the reporters a simple way to reduce buses for ths evacuation, described whips a river, not even the Arni) the bubble s size, but the reporters did the doubts that continued to hang over Corps of Engmeers. people didn't l

nct understand. McCabe then drew their tou nspeople.

panic.

them a diagram They stdl dia not un The people here want to know if

" people around here are great he derstand and promptly forgot about it they hase to leave and, if $ A w hen."

lievers. ' he said "The) wait for their 9

said Strohecker, whose wife and chil orders We fmd through our emergen Dick Ryan awoke rart> on Monday-drep had already gone to a hideawas cies that peopic cooperate They are Like many others, he had gone to bed 70 mun north ishe came back that very good Now. (his is a utuation that nervous about the bubble and its por-mornmg to get more clothesi ts out of the ordmary A couple TV tent But he was ;here on av.ignrnent "They are more mquisitne ahutt flashes caused some alarm, but most for the Detroit News and he had to be what's goms on." said Hutch Ryan, people are calm. A hundred percent up early to a hase the story for that af.

mho was working 1820 hour0.0211 days <br />0.506 hours <br />0.00301 weeks <br />6.9251e-4 months <br /> days since best people in the world "

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Hydroger, remowd proces wcm dekase became com to wrong irwel d cockst pret.ure wouvid have ai pump p,p Cochng lamed #w gcm io ims to preary pury to.,,,

in a way, through. Ryan was only course no one eser saw was not a ments to the plant on the backs of flat-half right. Not everyone was a be-pubble at all but a froth. It would hase bed trucks and in the helhes of Cl31 hever. As he was talkmg. Middletow n's taken 88 days to get rid of an actual cargo planes flown into liarrisburg two banks and others in the fase-bubble. one NRC official said.

throughout the long dan and nights county area sere experiencing an "ex-None of this may be imiwrtant in They were cemented m place igle traordmary" run - clients were with the aftermath. What is significant is fashion oser the recombmer control drawing money for evacuation and that the danger passed as quietly as it panets.

I others uere simply cleaning out theb '

had arrived

% hen ever>tbing was in place the accounts. safety deposit boxes, esery-What did happen was a gradual recombiners were turned on and the thing.

hieed ing off of the hydrogen that had system worked Ben SicEnteer, the state bankmg formed on the top of the reactor. It So the crisis of the bubble was oser, secretary, said the run on the excheq was a dchcate balancing act in uhkh for all practical purposes A slo" uer had occurred between 8 and 10 engineers and speciahsts experimen-trickle of evacuees began returnmg to a m. b>gical enough.The news had im-ted with var >ing pressures in a hand homes in the area. still uncertam of proved that much overnight, the evac-somuhere hetween t#10 pounds per the denoueTent of the oncome emer-uation threat still was real. offidals square mch and 1.100 PSI inside the gency at Three Mile Island. but a bit were talkmg about progress down at reactor's primary coolant system more rches ed the island but nobody was sa>mg it's The coolant tnen carried the hydro-It was now. as before, an esent oser.

gen m the form of small bubbles to the which seemed so grim for all its aue-Back at the NRC press center in Mid pressurizer, a c)hndrical dome that some potential that the only remedy i

dPtown. reporters were growing rest-rose shghtly higher than the reactor.

was to smile At the Middletow n Elks less. Denton was de%vmg. The AP Nozzles inside the pre %uriter sprayed Club. they renamed the standard story had made the nds, but st 11 the hydrogen-laden coolant into the cheesburger "The Meltdown " A bowl there was that gram e 1oubt. No one top of the pressuruer where it gave off of chili with beans became the would beheve until Denten came out the hydrogen hke fizz from a soda pop

" bubble buster "

and confirmed it. Joe Fouchard, the m-A sent m the top of the pressuriier al Bob Dasis. a caseworker at the Dau l

formation man. came out before the lowed the hydrogen. which was ra.

phin County mental health t risis inter-microphones ahead of Denton. Ile dioactive. to escape into the contam-vention center. thought a letdown asked for calm and disciphne - he ment t'ulldmg.

surely would come, maybe not this i

week or next, but there would be a let-was sxasperated uith yammering re-In the contamment buildino hidr +

dO* "-

porters one upping each other - and gen and oxygen were converted back "When this dies dow n. I think it u til then said "We have some important into water by destces called recombin.

information to convey to you this hit us ' Davis said that afternoon. "A i

mornmg." Tow nspeople. some wearing lot of people will want tc talk atmut work clothes and baseball caps, hudd-The problem uith the recombiners u hat they went through. that they felt led on the bleachers in the austere ht.

- whuh were not ready to go uhen inadequatr in the crists and embar-tle gym. hanging eagerly on the words.

they were needed - was that their rassment at being scared "

Denton was wearmg his long days controls were in the auxilary buildmR Very hkely. but at his meetmg with on his face. There was a shadow of where the radioactive waste water had the president the day before. Thorn-beard. a sleepy look Dmg sideburns been dumped So Met Ed quickly had burgh said something that had caught and the receding hairline highlighted rounded up tons of lead bricks from a flash of u hat was gome on "Penns>l the white gauntness. lie teased a bit.

places hke the National Cancer Insti-vanians are tough people." said the Ile wanted to say first that NHC resi-tute They arrived in hurried ship governor. They had to be. e dent inspectors had been assigned to mM~ r =nre-- 7

-+

r

• all other Babcock & Wilcox plants s

around the country. That was impor-

/g 9

tant, of course, ht:*.1 had nothing to do with a bubble dow n on :he island.

O M hgl.d ! Qm d:

Then the big news. 'llie temperature t,

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2 inside the reactor was going down -

>F not much, but going down. And there

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had been a dramatic' decrease in the g

3 e size of the bubble. Denton reported y _f g-

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p "There is reason for optimism."

.bw i

Metropohtan Edison engineers would say later that they had never F

I 1 ;'

j 4

lost control cf the bubble. " Based on

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the game Flan, this is exactly what we j

expected to happen." said John Ildbill.

i a nuclear engineer for the company.

i In fact, the procedure that chased j

the bubble was prectsely the one E C.

g i

McCabe had outhned for two reporters l

[

on Friday af ternoon.

I l

Still later. Other NRC engineers s

claimed that the bubble, which of

" t g Contatoer of radioacthe waste leases Three Mile Island for dhposalin Nouth Carniens l

F" g

4, p rtWE p**.* r very concept of " normal hfe" w ould be 3

a relative term for the people unfurky

[

enough to hve near the nation's first serious nuclear mishap i

Nor was the plant itself the only problem for the people of the Susque-hanna Valley.

After effects of the accident seemed to be a tableau of compounded unfair.

ness For one thmg. the victims found when they came home that they would have to help pay the bdl for the acci-dent that victimited them Since the s -,

nuclear plant had provided about 40 percent of Met Ed's power. the utsht) had to replace it by buying hi;her-priced power elsewhere-and the cost.

(

4 about $750 a month for the aserage i

customer. would be passed on auto-matically. Under the rate-setting sta-tutes. morecever. Met Ed's customers could be charged for some of the cost of cleaning up the utility's nuclear mess.

There was other economic fallout as well Real estate prices seemed sure to plummet. "M ho's gomg to buy a house

(

in the shadou of this plant?" one real-tor asked rhetoricall). Despite daily as-su f

surances from federal agencies that g

the region's environment and agricul.

w tural products had not been contamin-

' " *i a

d]

- /

ated. the public seemed uary. Gov.

Richard Thornburgh complamed

,'9-

,', - . f,s

..~*

.p about stores postmg signs declaring "We Don't Sell Pennsylvania Milk,"

The Pennsylvania Dutch Visitors Cen-i ter said half the hotel reservations in the Lancaster area had been canceled De the week after the accident. forebod-a ing bad times for the region's impor-owe rrminwm.m tant tourism industry.

These T-shirts emerged in llarrhburg area in make of Three Mile Island mishap.

even]ile rthm t of Three Chocolate Ave. in liershey. the lier-shey Food Corp. was frankly worried about the impact of the accident on its i'

$6f8 7 million in annual sales.

s Dady the firm announced that its flagship product, milk chocolate, uas being made with stores of milk laid in InIlabitants Wonder

%"th t-r-e before the plant sented radioactne its products. Rather radiation data and be prepared to counter whatever sus-e icions chocolate los ers might be M

O eieve w.=t.e,ious d f,1c.,t.es fac.ng the returning refugees, though. mere the intangibles-the needs of anxiety.

On the hockey rink ice was a don't know." she said. ~But I think I m distrust and anger sown with the first makeshift plywood floor. On the floor gome to go home."

alarms from Three Mile island and fer-was a long row of rickety Red Cross Carole seemed to feel guilt about her tdized by the confusion and contradic-cots. On each cot was a staff gray Army decision and the etfect it might hase tions that marked the offscial response blanket. On the blanket on her as-on the child in her womb: it might be to the crists.

signed cot sat Carole Roy. her belly big too soon.she kept saying. In fact, how-For some people, the gnauing sense with chdd. her face etched with dis-ever, she was one of the last holdouts.

of being trapped in a situation that no i

comfort and fatigue.

Although the evacuation advisory was one could control eas so troublesome It was Saturday. April 7-ten days still in effect, by the end of the week that they sought professional help after the first alarm at Three Mde is-the evacuation itself was effectively "My phone was ringing constantly.".

land. eight days after the warning to over.

Dr. Robert Fisher. a liarnsburg psychi Carole and other members of the "vul-By Friday. Aptd 6. the state Office of atrist, told a newspaper. " People were nerable population" to flee whateser Civil Defense estimated that 90 per-very frightened."

poisons might have been carned in the cent af those who fled the nuclear ac-There was. for most people, the stream that poured out into the wind cident had returned home. Whether or wrenching reahzatson that something over the nuclear plant, five days after not you could trust that statistic ~ they had come to trust was no longer the demise of the bubble had left the since the Civil Defense types could not trustworthy. The people around Three plant in morr or less stable condition-say. vithin 100.000 pecple. how many Mde Island had generally been bow and Carole Roy. with the child she had had left, they could not really say how ters of nuclear power, scoffing at the brett carrying for seven months, was many had come back-it was evident warnings of the antinuclear lobby. But l

still a refugee.

that life in liarrisburg and its suburbs the acendent in their back yards i

Carole's husband had driven her was returning to routine.

brought a change in attitude.

from their home in York flaven, three The threat of diaster had made nor-

"If our faith in Met Ed is shaken."

miles straight south of Three Mde is-mahty a news event, and so this was wrote the Middletown Press and Jour-land to the refugee center in the the news from the area around Three nal in a front page editorial. "our be-hockey rink at Hershey Sports Arena Mde Island by the end of last week:

hef in the entire nuclear power in-Filome Den of the liershey Bears 7 There were traffic jams at rush hour, dustry also rides on thin ice too "

wnhin two hours after they had heard The:e were shoppers in the grocery There were, to be sure, some who the " evacuation advisory" on the stores (although few stocked op for said their belief in the nuclear plant radio. She had been determined to more than a day or two at a timet was not undermmed. "The way I see stay there as long as the danger lasted.

There were students in class at most it." said a bartender in Goldsboro look-But eight nights on that stiff. narrow schools. There were people-but still a ing out his door at the coohng towers a cot had taken a toll Eight days of utter minority-who on radio call!n shows mile and a balf asay."the damn thma inactivity in what seemed more and complained about something other more like a nuclear prison had been than Met Ed.

worked They had a problem. and they took care of it. Who got hurt?"

enough. "Well. I'm worried about the For the time bemg. however-and To the extent one can radiation. if there still is any. because I perhaps for a long time to come-the few days' visit. however, judge from a that seemed

'D M D TW 3 0

he d 21 h

i

I I

to be a minority view. More common, at least among those w ho were making their opinions known. was the mental conversion experienced by Jim 1.arry.

a law n service worker in Yocumtown.

"gp2'd ya,

4 "Eefore " Larry said glumly. "I bought the sales pitch. the whole 10 4,.'*-

yards-that the chances of anything w.1'(fpg' h-

1. s bad at the plant are minuscule. And d_.

9 now here we are. I've changed rny a MM s WW -

.O }

• view s on the thing, personally."

l MC 1

i -

~~

• s In between were the many who said u

they were still not sure what they thought about the experience that con-J'

.--- F--d -*-

trolled their hves. They wanted to be-s heve that nothing serious had hap.

pered-but could they really beheve 4

that' "Just because we didn't all drop I

dead, people here think we're okay."

i-said Carmella Swartz just yesterday.

• gg Last night was the first n ght that Sti-

^

Mq.

chael. her son, and scores of other chil-

)['

. 4;Qg.

I drcn here had slept m their oun beds since the evacuation of pregnant Li-women and small children 11 days ago.

...Y, As she straightened the hood on her k."i "G ',

son's parka, she said. "I don't think

• • =

g these children should be brought back

.g 5

evertheless. the children of Mid-k 3'.

9 dietown were back yesterday. In the

"f_-

v

-pyy)

Suartzes' case it uas pure economics.

M, y They couldn't afford to pay for a motel h.,#.b g'^

f room after emergency assistance was

.E' cut off yesterday.

Karen Cooke, 20. one of the hun. Q

r. G,

g dreds of pregnant women evacuated R w;;iy_

p from the immediate area of the plant, g F ' w-

~-

.fa-

^

was back at work for the first time in "J

.h O "N"S N. ',* ' '

- ~

the 11 days. 'What's the sense of dwell-r g

V ing on something like this" she said.

i

• What's gome to happen is gomg to b c-W.-O e

. 4,*.7 W

happen "

4. R - ' -. gg,.

But the strong undercurrent of anxi-ety persisted Skip Campbell was wor-y,W,e !,

g ried about his home ana his 5yearold g, r.

".f.

~ %,

g.

% ;,ec

, d, g yd a, -

son Mat, whom he took to have exa-mined for radiation Y,, Y ' M., ~%.M*

T'd',' ' '

,@4_

i Several score people were examined

1. ' ** Y N. '.*. -'

M.

~

Mu b<,i M

-.s in a mobil radiation scanner that locas Ywg

'k hke an aluminum coffin attached to a ser of computers. All tests came up g.g h (

"We didn't expect to find anything what happens next? I don't know cided she didn't want to take it home ar.d we haven't yet." said Dr. It L w hat to say."

at all. so she plopped it on an empt)

Gotchy.a Nuclear Regulatory Commis-As she began gathering her things to cot and went on packing sion radiation expert. "The main thing go home. Roy paused for a minute The shirt lay there, unsanted, bear-is to provide assurances to people A over one item of apparel somebody ing the slogan that captured the un-lot of people here are scared to death."

had given her m the hockey rink-one happy consensus among the neighbors "I don't know," Carole had said oser of those sick bumor T-shirts that cron.

of the nuclear accident that couldn't the weekend. looking up from her Red ped up as soon as people recognizs happen:

Cross cot "I don't suppose I'll forget that there was money to be mad m "I Survived Three Mile Island.

.I this,hving in this place for a week But the aftermath of the accident. Ito) de.

Think." e

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.% ~1,,,..

h w-a,,,n.., p, umwa rwaninum uones Harrisburg residents file insurance claims for their moving costs.some of w hich, right, were paid quicklv.

l D**D Y9~

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Od

.(

3

APPEN IX+

~

Despite Fears, D.C. Area Residents Resigned to A-Power Ewomp

~

-Slkht Shift in 1

Pulitic Se.ntiment 2.

i t t",r.'.yt W bu eaisof 7

wuyhdwdy,t u

llDSt n

f;t 3

Olb,e INTuclear Power

,i-~.~w,oww 6. #'

D*isaster w n tres en avd r p PRO NUCLEAR AGAINST NEUTRAL OR Q:H.* l'h *'y d. y** 'hink I' in "='

POWER PLANTS NUCLEAR PLANTS UNCERTAIN

"*'*j "g,",,*'*,*g,"*

.n.

in..nnsyt ni.-v.ry lik.ly, n.who m.ey, n.wtwo on.

38%

38%

34.g 28%

DISASTER 18%

LIKELY 52%

DISASTER 4 j eg UNLIKELY BEFORE AFTER BEFORE AFTER BEFORE AFTER NO p.g ACODENT ACODENT ACODENT ACODENT ACODENT ACODENT OPINION 0.T e How the Public Views Prospects

=

, W of an Energy Shortage y.,t.

"q w

Ot, -._

t,n t.t.

we,h z.r..n ning ther. is n. r i TODAY 4.8

.n. cay sh-tog et om,.nd ten nwoning ther. is. sev.r..n.rgy ah rt.g At wh.t p. int en th.

FEW MONTHS 5.5 esel. w.uld y.v y w..r. f.d y?

At what p. int d y think w.'8 b.

in. t.w en.nther in ti y rit FIVE YEARS M 6.4 Resa kom pos of 934 we=twighm wea r.wdsm. aden funday W.ough Fackry The m aahmaum rust The jarring Three Mde Island acci-the government did not know what to One-third of those interviewed said i

dent 100 miles from here has left most do.

they thought the Pennsylvania acci Washmaton area residents persuaded "I just feel terrthle for the families dent presented a real danger to people that there will be a much worse nu-there who have to be exposed to that livmg in the Washmgton area. only clear disaster in the da)s or years and have to lease their homes." a hali sand they were as tikel> nom as be-ahead But it has faded to make them young District of Columbia woman fore the accident to visit the beautiful reject nuclear power as an answer to said. "This is something that can hap Pennsylvania Dutch country or other the nation's energy needs pen to a!! of us at any time "

places near Three Mde Island.

These are among the chief findings That womari. who said she was an Sixty-six percent called the incident of a Washmgton Post telephone poll opponent of the use of nuclear power very serious and 25 percent termed it on nuclear power and energy pro-both before and after the Pennsylva-somew hat serious Only one person in blems conducted Tuesday through Fri-nia accident, was one of 52 percent of a hundred said it was not serious at all day.

those interviewed who feel that a Asked whether they supported, op-targe majorities of the 934 people worse nuclear power plant accident is posed or were neutral toward nuclear i

interviewed feel that Metropohtan Ed-hkely in the future. Fort ><me percent power before the accident. 3H percent tson Co., the utility that ran the power of those interviewed said they felt said tt*y had been supporters 18 per-plant at Three Mile Island in pennsyl-such a disaster would be unlikely; 7 cent de/rlbed themselves as op;o vania, could bave prevented the acc0 percent had no opinion _

nents in t.f past, and 44 percent said dent, that it did not know what to do In response to tion,the bulk of %guestion after ques-they had previou., ;,een neutral or once the accident occurred, that it ashmgton area rest had no opmion understated the problem and that it dents show themselves to dread nu-Asked whether they supported. op was not candid with the pubhc.

clear power but to feel stuck with it.

posed or were neutral toward nu(lear The federal government, whde con-That was how they say they felt before power after the accident, the same sidered much more candid and able the near meltdown and how they feel number-38 percent-said they were than Metropohtan Edison, still was now. Hardly any of those interviewed supporters. Twenty eight percent said seen as fathng short in its handhng of say their opinlons on nuclear energy they were opponents and 34 percent the incident. Only 43 percent of those have changed as a result of the acci said they were neutral or had no opin-Interviewed said they felt the govern-dent ion.

ment knew what to do once the acci-That they take the events of the past The accident, then. appears to hase dent occurred, while 45 percent felt 10 days seriously is beyond question. shifted the opinions of some 10

\\

percent of the population pushing Go nuclear, but utth as much care as hood of a nuclear facihty that could them from undecided or neutral into a possible, was the clear majority theme, cause a local catastrophe may not be position of opposition of development often articulated in volunteered com-very threatening to most Washingtoni of nuclear power plants.

me.its from those interviewed ans.

It has hardened optmons as w ell "1 "I was really surproed how close t Ordmarily, pubhc opmion is sharply i

was opposed before, but l~m more 05>

a meltdow n the thme came, said a 27-l posed now." a Bethesda woman said earold blontgomery County man. I swa ed by especially Joltmg esents Sentiment leans heaisly toward capital new they would prevent a meltdown "Not enough people are talking atmut long range goals with regard to en-but 6t came really close. Apparently we' punishmei.t after hor' rid highly pul>

helmt murders But if reaction from ergy."

need more re Washington area residents is typical.

I An explanation for the lack of a mas-are a lot now."gulations, although there then the esents in Pennntvania mas sive shift agamst nuclear power may The sense of havmg to Ine on the have resulted in only a slight national be quite simple: Washmgton area resi~

edge was voiced by a 22 year old liern-shift in attitudes toward the need for dents appear more willmg to face the don woman who feels there is no en-nuclear power.

unknown danger of a catastrophe ele ergy shortage and that there will not uhere than go without power in their be any but that the Cmted States is In 1976. the Gallup Poll asked Amert own homes or pay huge electnc bills.

caught in a bmd nevertheless. "This is cans how important they thought 11 The Post poll set four energy pohey somethmg I expected to happen, she un to M ve more nu(lear power positions before the pubhc. askmg said of the accident,"but I beheve nu-plants to meet the future power needs those interviewed to state which one clear power plants are Imperative to of the nation. Thirty-four percent na-they tended to approve most-the future ~

tionwide said it uas very important The first pohey would have the gov-One other factor may help account and M peretnt said it was someshat ernment shut all nuclear plants and go for the fatture of opponents of nuclear important' allout to develop other sources of en-power to des elop greater support here j

ergy, at the risk of power outages and following the Three hfile Island acci-much higher electric bills. Seven per-dent-the absence of nuclear facthties in the Post poll last week. the same cent.and they supported such a policy.

in the immediate area. and the proba-question was asked Twenty nme per-The second adsocated tougher in-ble conviction on the part of many cent said nuclear power plants were spection of existmg nuclear plants and that none will be built very important. and 3:1 percent said government refusal to allow the build.

they were somewhat important-a de-ing of new nuclear plants. Twenty' In recent years, antinuclear groups e7hd al ed f th nment have been successful m blockmg the in his teles sed energy meuage a

> ea u

i u f ri s

n heard If t'he a The fourth policy would hase the Only 33 percent said they would nut th a

government continue to promote nu.

be agamst one. Sixtyone percent said there, and 85 percent said they had clear power under existmg safety and they would be agamst one, and ti per-Inspection rules. Only 5 percent those cent said they were uncertam'he hkch-at se I it.

With sentiment like that t Lthods tied in 1%t Sun ey A total of 934 residents of the District of Columbia.

puter m a procedure that selects respondents from each Arhngton, Alexandria. Fairfax County, hiontgomery area in relation to its proportion of the overall population County and Prmee George s County were interviewed by The theoretical margm of error for a sample of 934 telephone April 3 through April 6 in the Washmgton Post's people is approximately 3.5 percent, although normal pro-pollof attitudes towards energy matters.

blems encuntertd in pollmg tend to make the probable Telephone numbers were generated at random by a com-margm of error someuhat higher APPBillX "Too little information too J

late..."

the NRC Meets After the accident at the Three hitle Island power gen-April 2. u hen the crisis dimintshed measurably.

erating plant on klarch 28.the Nuclear Regulatory Commis-Following are excerpts of transcripts of tapes. made sion went into " continuous" meetings on Starch 30.

available Thursday by the NRC after Rep. Toby htoffett (D-The meetings continued whenever a quorum of three Conn 1 threatened to subpoena them for use by a congres-commissioners was present, with tape recorders keeping an sional committee account of the conversations. The last of the meetings was Nuclear Drama Participants Among names appearing in transcripts of Nuclear Reguia-tory Commission meetings on the Three Mile Island emergency:

Joseph M.llendrie NRC Chairman Victor Gihnsky Commissioner Peter A. Bradford Commissioner Rkhard T. Kennedy Commissioner John F. Ahearne Commissioner liarold R. Denton Nuclear reactor regulation director Roger J. Mattson Systems safety director Albert Kennecke Technical review director Lee K. Gossick Operations director Joe F(uchard Public affairs director Richart;Thornburgh Governorof Pennsylvania Jody Powell White llouse press secretary l

i

tite trord about the need for evacua.

afternoon Denton was m Pennsultu.

y Uygg tion. Hendrie sauf st would be desira-naa lie reported by phone that the set.

Me to "suggest" that peope untinn natun uuss tense but staNeJ The discussion tras about etucua.

fare miles of the plant stay indoors DENTON. llello, Mr Chairman.

twn of an area near the plant due to that morning. achach Thornburgh did llENDRIE 116 there.

fear that radiation escapingfrom the later. But the poivrnor still tras pur-DENTON Quite anesperience.

reactor might rouse pubhc health zied)

IIENDRIE Well. I didn't tell you uus e of ct st famage TilORNBURGil Was your person, about this uhen we inade you director

,q ti

,, o,,

W CoHms,m ur operations center.

of thu offace, llarold. Actually, I DENTON. Yes, I think the ernportant justified in or[ering an evacuation at thought I was going to let you know thing for evacaation to get ahead of 915 a m. or reco'nmendmg that we later this summer, actually. Ilow's it the plume is to get a start rather than evacuats at 915 a m..or was that based going?

sittmg here waitmg to die. Even if we on mismformation? We really need to DENTON: I thmk it's gott:g all right can't mmimize the individual dose' know that there might still be a chance to limit HENE I m's tell what the-j

-the communications are Just fright.

fully inadequate because of the the ulation dose can b.o back and take a check. gover.

t. MISSIONER'GILINSKY:

nor, ut I can't tell you at the moment.

crunch, but they spent an hour work.

%. h.e, what did they tell them, was it for the g go, t know-ing on this ime So I would say the sit.

northeast quadrant?

TilORNBURGil. Okay. That would uation is stable. I don't see any imme.

diate threat there. We've got our osn CllAIRMAN llENDRIE. T.es.

be extremely helpful, because if we COMMISSIONER BRADFORD.

I' get any further recommendations. we people fanned out to really get up in ought to be made clear that you are really have to know what the basis of each one of these areas.. My concern

. might help warrant a forced evacua.

not talkma about lethal doses..~

those are DENTON. But the people at the site llENDNIE Yes.

tion. but the precautions they have are obviously much better to direct TilORNBURGil. Do se know the taken are pretty reasonable...

and run emergency plans than we are.

precise time of the release sof radioac.

(Throughout the Frufay session and I would hope the plant people and there was concern abt what uns giugyp our oun people are really momtortna llENDRIE I doubt it uith any prect.

being reported vi the press u ho would 4

w hat is going on in there and actmg on speak for the NRC and u hat. trhen a 3

it from moment to moment. It just TilORNBUltGil: Do we hase any a,.

spokesman scas chosen, he rould say seems like we are alwa3 s second. third surances that there is rmt gomg to be Jody Powell u as maulred in telept one hand, t.econd guessmg them. We al-any more of these releases?

talks uith fleadrie nWt coordmating ress reicases This exchange most ought to consider the chairman llENDRIE: No. and that's a particu.

fored one conversation rtth Porel J -

talking to the owner of the snop uP larly important aspect.. As best I can there and get somebody from the com' judge from the kmd of information llENDRIE: lie sa>s watch out. Ile's pany who is goms to inform us about commg through from the plant, it is right. There will be a tape from liarold these things m advance if he can. and not clear that they won t get mto this in the back yard at Three Mile Island then what he is doing about it if he kind of situation again..

and a tape of the dumb chairman an-can't We seem not to hase that con' tT1e information gap continued to swermg the same question in<ufficient tact.

nog ercryone. Aferropohtan Edison isic) and they will pick out the diver.

GILINSKY. Well. it seems to me we Co a as controlling the flow of infor.

gencies esen though they may not bc better think about getting better data.

motion and rivnts, and NRC peorge matters of substance._

(Gerald Rafshoon of the Mute FOUCllARD: Well. the governor is were sacreaarngly frustrated Among waiting on it, and Mr. Chairman. I those complasmag tras Roger Alatt, llouse staff wanted an NRC official think you should call Gov. Thornburgh son, who called as from Pennsphu.

to appear on the AfcNc 6Lehrer pubhc telcrision nears show that night. Gr.

and tell him s hat we know.... The Cis il naa )

Defense people up there say that our MATTSON: There is a problem inci husky tras chosen. but he canceled not state programs people have adstsed dentally m tracing the damned tnmgs long before an time. The Tr produc.

esacuation out to five miles in the di-to the back panel and they can't find en were upset and the commissioners rection of the plume I beheve that the them So there are people busy doing talked about thatJ IIENDRIE: Yeah, but still it's awful commission has to commumcate with other thmes and they are not gettmg it that gosernor and do it very done. We just learned-l don't know cold thing.

promptly..-

-three hours ago. that on the after.

KENNEDY: Tough Well, the hre of FOUCilARD. Don't you think as a noon of the first day, some 10 hours1.157407e-4 days <br />0.00278 hours <br />1.653439e-5 weeks <br />3.805e-6 months <br /> newsmen. That's why they drink so precautionary measure there should into the transient, there was a 3 much. They're always losing their sta-be some evacuation?

pound containment pressure spike.

ries just before they file them _.

IIENDRIE Probably, but I must say.

%e are guessing that may have been a (The AICNed-l'hrer shoir dufn't get it ts operating totally in the bimd and I hydrogen explosion. They, for some its tray.but the commercial netuurks don't hase any confidence at all that if reason. never reported it here until avre leading the etyning neirs truth we order an evacuation of people from this morning. That would have given the story of Three Afde Island. The a place where they have already got-us a clue hourn ago....

commissioners rcre keeping a reary ten a piece of the dose they are Rom 4 (Alattson later talked about the es.

cyc on the tube) to get into an area where they will cope of radiorson from the plant that KENNEDY: It is the lead story at all have had.0 of what they were gomg to mornmg ife tras concerned about the networks succeeded only by the ship get and now they move some place effects on nearby resufents )

that is burning in St. Thomas. where else and get 1.0-MATTSON: The latest burst didn't people are really going to get hurt.

(The discussion continued in that hurt many people. I'm not sure why llENDRIE There's a ship burnmg in tvin-trhat to do about the raJiation you are not moving people. Got to say St. Thomas?

dangers and how to crtract ansicers it. I have been sa>mg it down here. I KENNEDY: A crube ship out of the confusion at the plant )

don't know what we are protecting at ilENDRIE iloly mackerel. I was DENTON: Well. people who go up this point. I think we ought to be mov.

thinking about taking a cruise this winter. when i decided I wasn't going there fall into a morass. It seems like mg p'eople...

they are never heard from It seems Kr NNEDY: How far out?

to ski. Good thmg that never got off, like you night want to consider hav.

HENDRIE: How far out?

isn't it?

ing so' ethmg like rotating shifts MATTSON I would get t!'em dosn.

KENNEDY: By ship nothing is risk.

thr ". senior people there in the wmd and unfortunately the umd is fest cent. 4 room or in a room off the con.

still meandermg. but at these dose (Alarm bells uvre set off at the trol - n

• hat we could commumcate levels that is probably not bad because meetmg uten commissioners learned with about these kinds of things di-it is tinaudiblet that United Press International car.

rectly. I would be happy to volunteer KENNEDY: But downwind how far?

reed a story speculatnig that there and see how things go along for a MATTSON. I might add, you aren't could be a reactor core meltdotrn-w h de...

gomg to kill any people out of 10 miles.

and tyry servre pubhc safety conse-IIENDRIE: Now. Joe, it seems to me There aren't that many people and quencesHf things kwrsened at the es.

I have got to call the governor-these people have been-they have land.It bothered the Where flouse, too.

FOUC11ARD: I do. I think you have had two days to get ready and prepare utsch called Fouchard in Pennsyliv-got to talk to him immediately.

It's too httle information too late un.

nsa J HENDRIE-to do it immediately, fortunately, and it is the same way FOUCilARD. Jody Powell just called We are operating almost totally in the every partial core meltdown has gone.

and said something about some story on meltdow n.

bimd, his information is ambiguous, People haven't beheved the instru-mine is non+xistent and-l don't mentation as they went along. It took HENDRIE Yeah-we had a UPI con.

know,it's like a couple of btmd men us untd midnight last night to con.

densation of a briefing given in the staggering around making decisions.

vinc.a anybody that those goddamn press room at Bethesda.

(Hendrie reached 7hornburgh in temperature measurements meant FOUCHARD Goddammit_

Harrisburg The governor tzpressed somethmg.

HENDRIE Now when I talked to some displeasure unth hmated and (As the day awre on. con (trn greir Jody Powell a little bit ago we were 2

confheting istformation he had been about the need for caucuating preg.

concerned about having press confer.

getting. He scanted some authorita-nant uwmen and young children By ences there at tb* site and then up

here and people comparing tapes...

bu>ma a certain amount of protection months Mou know. " don't touch a thing "

FOllllARD: liarold just talked very for hmited dislocations, hmited eco, briefly with reporters here because nomic costs and terms, and costs of You know. "Me know what we re there was no way we could hide him other kmds mvohed when sou start dome now. uhy mose'" And it's not a llENDRIE: Yeah.... Well alrighty. hs-movmg people.

had posture to be in af the whole social ten I thmk Fouchard ought to call And l-ycu know, l'm sort of thmk.

system could stand it Jody Powell and report in on these ing-if I had a friend in llarrisburg. I CllAIRMAN l{ENDRIE: %. ll. I got e

public information developments....

guess I'd-I don't think I d tell him to the notion that Gpt? is still in a bit of (Dere iras more talk-lengthy talk mose. I'd tell him to keep close to his shock-a state of shock.In a sense.

-about the details atui precision of radio, something,if 3ou had somehmts DENTON: Mell. I will be meetme an NRC press release. De commis-really close m. you might tell him. if h'e with them I hope then to get my own stoners took turns editing each other.

did n't have to stick around. why operation here focused the same uay.

and Hendrie read a final t erswn to mas be he oughtn't to be there.

I thmk Roger and I can start thmktng l'ou ril But the f'f'T story on a mett-These are' the people who would about where we uant to be tomorrow.

dou n possibdify co*ttiqued to nog )

hase the least time, You know, if you rather than blastmg off at every latest IIENDRIE: _. We are. howeser, hav-really got into a situation that waa bad, item of somethmg wrong ing to deal with this media report people further out would base more COMMISSIONER BRADFORD What that's gomg runnmg from the Upl re-time. You also would base a more spe-are you lookmc at now in terms of the port and so on about meltdown bemg cific esacuation In other words. you worst thmss that could go wrong. and immment and we are putting together, wouldn't be doing it in a circle. And I ghe warnmg times youd hase on j

by the way, a press release that says guess I just don't thmk the situation them.

no. there's not an Imminent danger of calls for somg beyond that.

a meltdosn On the other hand. It seems to me it GOSSICK Yeah. I had a call from might be prudent to move them And.

DENTON. Well. m) comerns are the White House situaton room on I don't know. I'm also thmktng in my conuderably alleuated smee wese that I told them what had happened-

.nmd. If the guv's got cows he's got to come to a ues regardmg the hydra that our guy had been taken out of feed. I guess lit probably tell him to gen...

context and misquoted stay there and feed his cows. flut i BRADi'ORD-Do you hase an esti-l IIENDRIE Yeah -

thmk I'd go beyond womeri and-mate as to the least amount of warnmg pregnant women and children time you thmk y ou'd get ?

i DENTON I think it's wr> long Saturday, March 31 KENNEDY: The farmer doesn t

" *"uess uhat I need a feel from 30u Early in ritis sesnon. ichsch begon at need to thmk about where he's going Ig 10 27 a m. the commissioners accre to get the feed to give the cow s on is. Ilow critical is the need to show std1 discussing the.nos.uhle ne.d to rt acuate the area arouted Three Afde GlWNSKY. Yeah So it s not a umple procress now? The whole-many of the-techmcal staff. I am sure would f tland. Though later in the day theb answer to this. and I'm raising it for take the new that, "w h> rotk the arould receire more reassuring netes your consideration. you know...

boat'" We can sit right here and next from ifarrisburg. at this point they trere stdl quite uncertain tchat thek KENNEDY: Yeah. but don't tou-af week the core power lesel will be 5 should do as this excerpt shou's you're gomg to take that kmd o'f a step mega w atts You know, that s a-and GlWNSKY. Look, what about-

--4on't sou have to he more direct why make any changes m the stable where do we stand on this question of atmut sti I mean, sou can't sort of-

5) stem so that you might has e a prime w hether people ought to be adused to the acency to whom they would look release, or some problem would de-mose out or not?

for aduct-you can't sort of toss it out ulop or somethme would happen' I guess even though the stuation and say well. >ou know. go'. may he-lM m ulta neou s con rersa' ions l MHM hat wun@ pW W looks better to me today than it did g;g,gyggy gegg y_

me.

yesterday. I wonder if well, oughtn't KENNEDT.: T.ou gotta sa > -sa)

COMMISSIONER AllEARNE. Youie we thmk about at least urgmg people s methmg fairly clear a fairly clear m-got to [maudiblel esplanation to the who are real close m. they don't have dwation of what you re saymg to thern pubhc m that area Three quartet s of a to be around here now to. if they\\e Y u can t leas e it ambiguous-milhon people sittmc on the edge of got relatives 20 miles away, to go visit their thairs mienw them' KENNEDY: Gnen what we know Tuesday, April 3 DENTON. But obuously. if you w ere i.ere and kx ked out. the place has today as contrasted w it h w hat we knew 3esterday, let's say. m compar6-ffu this Iwnnt the damaged pou cr charged dramatwally smce we got son of law, what would he the ration-plant icas in a relaturely staNe condi.

here, you know. with the visitors cen.

ale for it?

fron The question iras icherher to ters, and there were five trailers. and now there are ten. and there are tenh.

GIUNSKY Welt. you see the way it drtft along that iroy, or take near po.

tentialip nsi u steps to bnng the renc.

and communications J-they re esen looks to me is that. m a number of 6

way s the situation looks better. I mean.

for to ichat the experts call ~ cold shut.

puttme out a newspaper. The state n on readiness alert. and their resourt es the temperatures in the reactor m doien "

i these hot spots wem to be Roma down Among other things, these passages are thm. So there is high sortal and po-litical cost in mamtamme this kind of j

1 and that's better, and weie got a lot of gire a hint of the compier relation talent on the spot that can think thmcs ship betteren the NRC and mdustry

-this steady condition I don't know i

-l gueu I don t have a feel for how through and therre orgamzed and representatsres on the.w ene that s much better.

DENTON And what I thmk is the destructne this is for the whole gov-i KENNEDY: And they're making-missmg role and the one Dick and rrnmental process.

llENDHIE I thmk u hat I'd hke to--

taking steps to mmimize the effect of Roger were earlier trying to simulate, any subsequent release whwh might now is-Let s get out of this flabby DENTON, i thmk i will has e to oser.

l l

have to be es acuated mode imaudiblei. and let s serioush come the resistance of the staff. you I

l KENNEDY: And they're making-consider ways and pros and ions fcir know. to make an3 chance Obs tously.

taking steps to mmimize the effect of gettmg this thmg dow n Becauw I there are a lot of uess that just mam-any subsequer:t release whsth might don't think Decamp ta company offi.

tammg it right now, don t t hange a i

j has e to be evacuated ciall has any perception of the federal, sirgte temperature pressure or an)-

i GIUNSKY: Yeah. Right. So that's an-state and social costs that are come on.

thmg m the system. let b just hold it.

AHEARNE That's an issue we're other-He would probably be just as happy to KENNEDY:Is that better?

stay in this mode for the next sn going to have to dncuss... e i

GIUNSKYrthat's another point on 7

the plus side.

f On the minus side is, they still don't have a way of deahne unth this major p

w-hydrogen problem in the pressure ves.

sel and, even though thmes are better.

W you know, there's still a possibihty of g-the system degradmg and. if it does, the time scales over which things might happen seem rather shorter to 4

f i

me-if I understand them correctly -

/

than I understood them to be yester-I s

day.

1 }-

KENNEDY: That's somethmg we h

.yJf need to-I GluNSKY: Chet k.sure.

KENNEDY.-w e need to check out GILINSKY: Absolutely.

.4 6

CllAIRMANilENDRIE Yeah.

GILINSKY: So I guess in my mind. I guess I ueu et as whether it's worth By John McDonneu-Ttw unshingsnn Post i

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l The Newest Human Guinea Pigs The people who hve around the levels recorded far below the 5.000 mil-and children from the areas within Three Mile Island nuclear power plant hrems per year figure.

five miles of the Three Mile Island have become the newest human Eight Gls with exposure records in-plant-guinea pigs in a health experiment dicating 1,500 milhrems or less during S nee man became aware of radia that has been some on-without a a 1957 nuclear weapons test called tion and its hazard to human health, final result-for more than 30 years Smoky later developed leukemia A the amount of radzation exposure con he ques' ion to be settled h what Center for Disease Control study deter.

sidered " safe" has been going steaddy are the long term health risks to indi mined eight was more than twice the down viduals exposed to low levels of radia leukemia cases that should normally At the turn of the 20th century, X-18 n?

have been found.

rays were an enormously popular new it is a question that today is being A Utah State scientet studied Utah medical discovery. Despite evidence at sharply and bitterly debated by scient-chddren exposed to fallout that the time that heavy X ray doses were 1sts and doctors both msnde and out.

drifted 100 mdes from the same 195(s harmful. it was not until 1921 that any side government Nevada weapons tests. He found they limits were set.

The debate has the same overtones had twice the number of leukemia By 1925, the international standard that accompamed the cigarettes and cases than children who had lived in was put at 1.000 milhrems a week. In cancer controversy-but with a differ-the same areas before and after the the U.S., that level prevailed until 1934.

ence.

tests.

when an American based organization, he Pennsylvanians did not volun-A statistical survey of workers at the the National Committee on Radiation teer to be dosed with low level radia.

government's nuclear facihty at Han-Protection. recommended 500 mdh-tion ford, Wash.. turned hp a slight in.

rems a week.

Nor did other human subjects in this crease of some types of cancers, at in the post World War 11 days, with experiment-the Japanese survivors though the workers had absorbed less the experience of the Japanese atom of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Mar.

than 5.000 milhrems.

bomb victims analyzed. the U.S rec-shall Islanders exposed to radioactive Opponents of nuclear power seized ommended dose level dropped again fallout in 1954. the Gl's and Utah resi.

upon these studies and added them to in 1949 it was put at 300 mdhrems per dents exposed by the 1960s Nevada nu.

their antinuke arsenal. On the other week. Eight years later, in 1957. It was clear tests s6de, supporters of nuclear power pro dropped sharply 10 5.000 mithrems in a 1.ittle more than a month ago, duced doctors and scientists to attack year tthe earher weekly hmit worked Health, Education and Welfare Secre-the findings or the manner in which out to 15A10 millirems over a y ears.

tary Joseph A. Cahfano Jr. declared the studies had been done and egen in addition. a general population ex-that no one knews for sure how to esti-the quahfications of the researchers posure level of 500 milhrems in a year mate the risks of cancer from low level Radiation. absorbed into the body, was set-putting it at one-tenth the ex-radiation. But he termed finding some can kill human cells Radiation can posure permitted workers in nuclear answer high on the pubhc health also alter cells But not all absorbed ra.

facihties.

agenda.

diation causes damage and some of the The lowering levels were accompan.

Until the past few years, however, damage to cells is repaired by normal ited by additienalincidences of cancer the government and the pubhc mechanisma.

wbich turned up primarily in Japanese seemed udhng to accept standards in The degree of harm from radiation groups whose posterposure health existence for almost 20 years Rese thus relates to a series of complex fac-was being followed.

said low doses of radiation-below tors-the type of radiation, the extent HEW Secretary Cahfano said last 5.000 millirems a year-would not of the dose and length of time of expo week that the evacuated women and cause significant health problems even sure, the portion of the body exposed children from around Three Mile 1s-over the IG2430Lyear periods during and the tissue or organs involved.

Land, plus uorkers at the stricken fard-which some cancers develop.

Scientists agree that women and ity, would be prime subjects for a pro In recent years, however, a series of children are more prone to radiation Posed long term healtt study.

highly publicized findings, based on damage than men. And pregnant Such a program not only will permit studies of limited groups exposed at women are perhaps the most vulnera.

the people to keep track of their different times to low radtation levels, ble since absorbed radiation could do health, but could give the government have sharply challenged the existmg severe harm to a fetus in the womb.

additionalinformation it needs to help theories. They have tended to show Rese considerations led Pennsylva.

solve the vening low-level radiation cancers developing 10 to 20 years later nia Gov. Richard hornburgh to sug.

prob lem. O among individuals exposed to dose gest evacuation of pregnant women Q@[

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