ML19322C416
| ML19322C416 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 03/30/1979 |
| From: | Scranton W, Thornburgh D PENNSYLVANIA, COMMONWEALTH OF |
| To: | |
| References | |
| TASK-TF, TASK-TMR PR-790330, NUDOCS 8001170368 | |
| Download: ML19322C416 (14) | |
Text
I TV FCR I?C4EDIATE RELEASE GOVER :CR'S PRESS OFFICE CONTACT: Paul Critchlow 31[9-R Press Secretary l
/
(717) 783-1116 l
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March 30. 1979 l
s
- s TRANSCRIPT PRFSS CONFERENCE GOV. DICK THORNBURGH LT. GOV. WILLIAM SCRANTON, 3d I spoke with President Carter and the Chairman of A short time ago, about the situation at Three*
the Nuclear Regulatory Commissio.n (NRC)
Based upon the evidence and best technical advice Mile Island.
available, the President concurred with me that there continues, at present readings, no reacon for panic or implementation of emergency measures.
~. ~. ~
Because the. situation is a fluid one, we are continuing to constantly The President has dispatched his personal' represent'ative, monitor it.
Mr. Harold Denton, chief operations officer of the NRC, to assist me to monitor the situation and and work with our experts, on the scene, and through me the public, fully advised..
keep me, 3
Based on advice of the Chairman of NRC and in the interests of taking every precaution, I as advising those who may be particularly suscep-tible to the effects of radiation, that is, pregnant women and pre-of the schoo1 age children, to leave the area within'a 5-mile radiu
. Three-mile Island facility until further notice. We have' also ord,ered i's,*
the closing of any schools within this area.
I repeat that this and an. excess of other contingency measures are based on my belief that Current readings are no higher than the were caution is best.
However, the continued presence of radioactivity in the yesterday.
area and the possibility of further emissions lead me to exercise the rv v.
a utmost of caution.
Answering questions with the Governor and Lt. Governor are; -
1 Thomas Gerusky, Director of DER's bureau of radiological' protection Craig Williamson, Deputy Director of Civil Defenso 1*
v c
.y
,soo1178 E A a
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PART 1 PAGE 2 Governor, do you know what the. temperature _ls_at PANYARD:
the core of the reactor.right now?
[
+
GERUSKY :
I believe it's the same as it was yesterday.
PANYARD:
So, it has not dropped at all?
GERUSKY:
No, it is supposed to stay there until the coolant 4
system comes on.
It's -just stabilized right now.,
~
PA: YARD :
Do you have any reason to believe that it may have gone up.
BRUTTO:
Governor are y'ou concerned that a sense of pan,ic may have set in here?
GOVERNOR:
I hope not.
By a deliberate measured response that the President and I agree is the best way to deal with the current situation as we know it that people will take confidence in the fact that we are assessing the situation constantly to satisfy ourselves, what is rumor and what is f act and tinat the. recommendations that we're making now will be accepted.
BRUTTO:
Governor, do you have some type of security set up in
~~
these areas that you're going to evacuate?
GOVERNOR:
They will be handled by local police. They are not being* evacuated.
2 We are recommending to a specified group of persons that they leave this area.
REPORTER:
the ccmpany says that they'll be making releases similar to this periodically over the next three to five days to vent the pressure off of the reactor. Do you recommend that people who have moved out or choose to leave, stay for that duration or what do you expect t-do?
GOVERNCR:
Our reco=mendation has been made until further notice and we'll have to evaluate the situation on a constant basis so we can make any other recommendations that will be in order.
RCSS:
'Q3vernor, there is a conflict that came.
whether this was a planned emis,sion or whether -it was, not a planned emission.
'GERUSKY:
It was an unplanned emission. They were moving water from one tank into another tank, from one area to another, in the reactor and'a valve went.
BRUTTO:
Water, did you say?
J GERUSKY:
Water.
l REPORTER:
And a valve failed?
.m
'dERUSKY:
Yes.
PANYARD:
Is that -----
==or in the main auxiliary building?
REPORTCR:
that they say it coming, they h'ad no way,tc get the steam off of the -----?
GERLS"Y :
Then the information that I have a's'of two hours ago is not correct.
PANYARD:
Is there any way that you have of checking the information
- that is*being fed to you by Met Ed?"
- more -
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PART I PAGE 3 GOVERNOR:
We're constantly checking it.
It's one of the reason's, we are delayed in speaking to you about the s,ituationet because we want to get the best fix on whit the factg s
There are a number of conflicting versioys 'of are.
every event that-seems to occur.
Governor, there are many many people who are already REPORTER:
evacuating'the area, children being taken from schools be parents, are being loaded into cars, their belingings we have noticed in some towns, are being loaded on trucks '
people are saying thisgs they want to get out, some people don't say anything, they're still getting out.
Are you trying to discourage this by this statement, or trying to control it, do you have any police plans to see that there is not an interruption with traffic,..
because this could escalate as more and more people se"e, others move, leave, it's like a chain reaction.
We have no indication of any traf fic proble=s at the GOVERNOR:
present time.
REPORTER:
Governor, where are these people supposed te go that you are suggesting get out? The pre-school children and.the pregnant women? DO you have any plans for that or just go away somewhere?
WILLIAMSON:
The announcements made by the county emergency management directors will include information as to where mass care facilities have been set up and are available to those who voluntarily leave the area.
MACLEOD:
How many mass care centers have been set up?
WILLIAMSON:
I don't know the exact number. But there are a nu=ber.
KACLEOD:
=
a few, a score, or a couple hund, red?
WILLIAMSON:
I would imagine something in the neighborhood of 10 - 15.
PANYARD:
thumbnail sketch of the evacuation plan, if in fact 1
it ever comes to that?
I WILLIAMSON:
If it became necessary to evacuate the area, the county r
emergency management directors would be advised and they would put their existing plans into being,and there would be a controlled evacuation from the areas where.
, it is called for.
s-
.PANYARD:
Can you describe this controlled evacuation for those milllion people?
WILLIAMSON:
The information vould be issued to the people, the direction in which they should go and the location ofjemergency i
management cetners that will be open for them, and then they will be given a number to call if they*have any transporhtion difficulties, and then those transportation difficulties would be worked out with county and emergency nt management people.
SCOTZIN:
You're not making any announcements right now, are you?
GOVERNOA:
Absolutely not.
I think it is important to reiterate once again that there is no evacuation being under,taken.
Governor, how many people live in the 5, dil'e radius?
MACLEOD:
GOVERNOR:
I don't know. Do yoc know Craig?
~
WILLIAMSON:
Roughly,,2 0,00 0.
as
- mere -
I l
hhbYh REPORTER:
How many schools?
s
=
WILLIAMSON:
I'm sorry, I, don't have that figure. Thqfe are schools.
SCOT *IN:
There are schools. How'many?
WILLIAMSON:
I have no idea John.
REPORTER:
Are you maintaing the request that people stay indocrs within a 10-mile radius?
GOVERNOR:
Yes.
REPORTER:
For how long? '
w.
GOVERNOR:
Until further notice. We have to deal with the facts as they develop and we're trying to determine those facts so that we can respond accordingly.
MACLEOD:
How many people live within that 10 mile radius?
SCOTZIN:
5 mile radius?
+
GOVERMOR:
I don't think we've looked at that because there is
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no action reasponse - -
Where are these mass care centers being set up?
In Hbg?
REPORTER:
WILLIAMSON:
There's one on Hershey for example that I'm aware of.
There are others, the Dauphin County Emergency Management director has been announcing all morning over local radio stations the location of these emergency mass centers, should it become necessary to evacuate.
REPORTER:
Are they only -----centers?
They're not mass care centers?
WILLIAMSON:
The people can sleep there and they will be fed there and for a limite dtime they can stay there.
REPORTER:
How far is the Hershey one from the Three Mile Island?
In air miles?
WILLIAMSON:
I would imagine in excess of 10 miles.
ROSS:
'There is a forecast for rain for the next few days, what effe:t'ill that have upon the situation?
s GERUSKY:
- None.
g Are the cities of Harrisburg, York,Lar. caster and Lebanon MACLEOD:
2 involved in this potential evacuation alert area.
GOVERNOR:
There is no po,tential evacuation alert area?
MACLEOD:
But you're saying that you're monitoring the situation i
and that there could be evaucations.
GOVERNOR:
I didn't say that at all.
I said there is no evacuation order at this time.
SCOTZIN:
But you used the word potential, Governor."
GOVERNOR:
No, I didn't.
I do not.. we cannot ' reflect upon what the facts may be, 1, 5, or 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> hence. I think the only we can say now is that.there is,no evacuation being ordered or undertaken.
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I REPORTER:
Governor,-is is -
--to say that the state is preparing for an evacuation in the event that it becomes necessarv
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based oh changing -
-?
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f 4
y
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PART 1 PAGE 5 On Wednescay morning, when I'first learned of the GOVERNOR:
incident that took place at the plant, I inqui{ed, of Colonel Henderson as to whether or not an evacuation' contingency plan was framed and available'.
if the eventually arose. He assured me that there was such a plan and I reamin assured that there is such a plan.
In the event that an evacuation is deemed necessary how much of an advance notice can those affected
/
a REPORTER:
expect?
GOVERNOR:
I can't say.
As much as.possible obviously.
Governor,'would you discourage the people beside pregnant-REPORTER:
woren and young children in the to leave the area now2,.
I think that's a decision that they have to make GOVERNOR:
for themselvec. If they assess the situation as the president and I and the chairman of the NRC do, there would be no reason to leave. Ecwever, family considerations, you don't expect only the pregnant women and the pre-school children to leave.
- your original statement you mentioned
- Governor, J
SEYM3UR:
the last one I heard the possibility of -----emissions.
Inaudible.
Governor, concerning the situation at the plant on REPORTER:
emissions, do you believe that there will be further emissions that wil1~be requiring a reconsideration of evacuation?
GCVERNOR:
I don't know.
The possibility is there and that will cause us to reconsider if it -
What have you heard from the ccmpany about the possibility l
t FERRICK:
of further emissions either contr,lled or potentially o
uncontrolled?
I think that.we have been told by the company that there GOVERNCR:
- When, will be certainly further controlled emissions.
where and in waht manner I'm not competent-to speak.
' Governor, I don't understand in your statement you say SEXTON :
that current readings are no higher than they were-yesterday. Yesterday'the NRC tbid us that the readings
- in the area had declined from a high of about 20 mr's, 30 mr's to an average of 1-5.
Today, we were told that there were readings south of the plant of 25 mr's.
Are'the readings higher today?
The The current readings are in the 1-5 mr's range.
GERUSKY:
the last time I called over-there before I
- present, came up.. 15-20 minutes ago.
SEXTON:
1-5 mr's?
GERUSKY:
Yes.
In the 1-5 mr's., Right at the observation center.
Then why are you advising pregnant women to leave?
SEXTON:
Because of the possibility that another event will occur.
GERUSRY:
We don't want to leave people, let people stay'there and have something more serious occur,than what happened this morning.
SEXTON:
The 1-5 mr reading,' is that from DER or the NRC? Where does that come from. Because that contradicts information that w( got earlier?
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PART 1 PAGE 6 f
GERUSKY:
My DER staff is there with survey meters and fever
.f been sending the information back by ra,dic to my y
office. That's the last I have.
REPORTER:
YESTERDAY, NOW WHO ORDERED the disenarge of tne water and who suspended it?
Which agency of government?
GERUSKY:
That's a little confusing. We haven't exactly fou d out how it started and we know why it stopped.
And that,we allowed it to start again. We were told that, yesterday afternoon that they were thinking about releasing some radioactive material tc thh river. Apparently, they believed that they had authorization under their license and -------- to release the material. It was less than 1 % of 'the allowable concentration that they could release under their==
Unfortunately, it wasn't in the radioactive waste line.
It was in the industrial waste line.
And their -
=said they couldn't release any radioactivity through their industrial waste line.
So the NRC told them to stop.
At that point they.had to come to DER, because industrial waste is a DER problem. And on and on.
In any case, the radio-
~
activity started yesterday. It will continue through 250,000 gallons per minute release.
It's xenen 133 that 's in the water and it should evaporate immediately after it hits the river, causing no problem to anybody downstream or around the plant.
REPORTER:
How long will that continue?
GERUSKY:
30 hours3.472222e-4 days <br />0.00833 hours <br />4.960317e-5 weeks <br />1.1415e-5 months <br />, is what they anticipated their release to PANYARD:
When did the state first find out -- ~
actually being dumped?
GERUSKY:
I don't.
I think about 5 o clock when they were told to stop, but I'm not positive.
RIPORTER:
indudible.
GERUSKY:
Yes. And then we tried to find out what was happening and authorize the approval which started at midnight.
REPORTER:
30 hours3.472222e-4 days <br />0.00833 hours <br />4.960317e-5 weeks <br />1.1415e-5 months <br />, when does that'end?
GERUSKY:
I believe from midn,ight last night when it started.
REPORTER:
To about 6 o' clock tomorrow?
Yes.
GERUSKY:
GOVERNOR:
Let me answer a previous question that was asked, there are 23 schools within this 5 mile.
g REPORTER:
Governor, what about the food su*pplies in that 5 mile area? Are they in any danger, of any kind of contamination or anything else?
GERUSKY.:
No.
We haven't found any radioactive iodine in the environment which is the most critical conce'rn.
The problem are the noble gases which are not reactive with anything and there's nothing on the ground THAT WE CAN FIND.
So, there's no problem of contamination of food or anything like tha.t as of this moment.
2
'- more -:
PART 1 PAGE 7 GERUSKY:
The releases have been going through a filtesisy0 cam which includes cleanup of the -----..There'is still' a lot of radioactive material in that reactor and' there is radioactive iodine in there in that reactor and it could get out and that's why we're continuing our monitoring program.
REPORTER:
What was the last millirem reading above the plant?
GERUSKY:
I don't know above the plant.
It was 3 at the, where we were at the observation -----.
PANYARD:
I understand a3 state police helicopter was above the plant taking the reading and GERUSKY:
The state, ok, yes, the 1 sat reading. I don't know what the last reading was, but the 1200 reading, there's a question about that, whether it's 1200 or 300, but it doesn't make any difference, it was high.
REPORTER:
What does the 1200 reading mean?
GERUSKY:
It'doesn't mean anything. Because we saw those levels,.~
during the first few days right above in that plume.
Right above the plant.
s REPORTER:
Mr. Hendrie in the statement that was made earlier said that equivocates out to 120 millirems dosage for anybody downwind. That was the staement that was made by Mr. Critchlow earlier.
GERUSKY:
I haven't done the calculation. I didn't know that
~
REPORTER:
Tom, how far =-
-is the observation point where you got the reading of 3 or 5 from the plant?
GERUSKY:
- A mile.
REPORTER:
A quarter of a mile, three quarters of a mile, you can see the plant..
REPORTER:
Rems or millirems?
3 or 5 what.
GEkUSKY:
3 millirems.
s
' REPORTER:
What's that equivalent to?
GERUSKY:
That's per hour and that's equivalenc to a plane flight from here to California.
Governor, you 'said that the situation there'is stabilized REPORTER:
but there's this sense that if there are these emissions that are non-controlled and it isn't stabilized and it is out of control. What are they telling you?
Do.you believe that it ;isn't under control there?
~
.g GOVERNOR:
As I've said, I'm very skeptical of any one source of f acts, and one of the things that we have td do is rely on those people who come at this. problem from differing sources so.that we can satisy ourself.on the facts that we use to base our opinions and our actions.
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g g
~ ' PART I PAGf 8 Stabilize means that as"of the moment that I.*
GOVERNOR:
came up here'there is no ------action at the facility
~
a but one of the reasons that we have taken these.
precautionary measures is that the possibility of further emissions can't be ruled out.
REPORTER:
Inaudible.
I I've had no' discussion with them.
GOVERNOR:
But the inforamtion provided to you that came from REPORTER:
Met Ed, has th,at been credible or not?
s I really can't assess it because most of the information -
GOVERNOR:
I've received has been from NRC and from our DER and from the other agencies.
Governor, what's the difference between a child or MACLEOD:
a pregnant woman or an adult in terms of the possible GOVERNOR:
I don't know. My action was taken on t'he advice of the chairman of the NRC and my secretary of Health. They informed me that there was a particular susceptibility to the effects of radiation..
you den,t know exactly what the difference is?
MACLEOD:
GOVERNOR:
I'm not a medical doctor.
Could Mr. Gerusky be a little more specific as to who REFORTER:
at the plant told him---------more precisely what happened this morning so that we can compare
-that to what we're being told by the company. in other words, who told you, precisely what's. going on?
GERUSKY:
I don't have the time.
I went home last night at
-1 a.m. and got back at 5 a.m. And sometime between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m.,
around that time, we have an open line to the plant, whoever we were talking to at that at the plant said that they had an uncontrclied, unplanned release of radioactive material to the environment.
They gave us the reading, at 600 feet, I believe directly in the plume, and they gave us a reading at the site boundary. At that. time, we had people who
. were heading south anyway to do some environmental 1
readings and the wind was blowing south, they were in 8
a radio car, we got in touch with them and they surveyed the doses on the way down and now are back at the center which was about the highest anyway.
l REPORTER:
The plant said that they were transferring contaminated reactor coolant, you started to say that they were transferring it and that a valve blew, that's the part that I'm trying to, GERUSKY:
Thdt"'s the information~that we got.
That they didn't expect that there would be any release of gases to the atmosphere.
4 PLEASE PICK UP WITH PART II OF TRANSCRIPT.*.
m.
ao o.
.C.
PART TWO PAGE la 2
REPORTER:
And it was a valve malfunction?
st
. 8 s
GERUSKY:
I am not sure if it is a malfunction or a normal function but-they didn't expect it to occur.
REPORTER:
OK, and this was all information that came in at about 7 a.m.
this morning when the release was actually going on or had just occured?
?
GERUSKY:
Yes, that is when the information came about the emergency -
if you want t,o call it that, close the windows, stay inside.
REPORTER:
Did the company adv.ise you in advance that the.
of yesterday when the release was stopped, that there might in f act be further relases as a part of their normal ecol down over the next couple day, as they were telling us this morning?,
GERUSKY:
I was not advised.
REPORTER:
Could you clarify once again the difference in all the mr.
readings? Perhaps I am missing something but we were told this morning 1200 mrs down to 900, and on the ground possibly 125, and now you are telling us 1 to 5.
Am I missing something or what*is the difference?
GERUSKY:
One to five is in the range of what we saw yesterday.
REPORTERS:
Millirem?
GERUSKY:
M.R. per hour, that's the nu=bers we were using yesterday.
REPO RTER:
This morning -- 1200 or...
GERUSKY:
1200 is directly over the release point. That is now down, or at 11 a.m. was down to 90 -- that was 1200 millirem per
per hour, it is now at 11 at 30 mr per hour.
So that has stopped.
SEXTON:
Do you have the recent readings that you have gotten offsite?
GERUSKY:
Yes, the offsite readings went up to about 14 mr per hour as we went south of the plant and there were about REPORTER:
Onsit'e?
GERUSKI:.
The didn't go onsite to measure.
SEXTON:
Are MM2 still getting 14 mrs?'
GERCSKY:
No, we are not we are ge'tting 3.
PANYARD:
You said that it went up to 147 The Governor's Press Secretary told us it was between 20 and 30 on the east bank in another areas.
GERUSKY:
That is on the site?
ROS57' -
No, he [ aid on the site it was ----------inaudible -- - - - =
CRITCHLOW:
That is what the Chairman of the NRC told us.
GERUSKY:
That was information that they probably got either from NRO or... there are hundreds of people out there with survey meters and all this information is coming in -.our people are giving us the information that I'm giving you.
~
PANYARD:
14 is the highest?
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e'
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j PART 2 l
Page 2a GERUSKY:
14 is che highest we have found.
1 I have just got to tell you that we share your frustritionrt.
GOVERNOR:
It is a very difficult thing to pin these fact 3 down.
.g So that we can try to give you some kind of bundle o,f-reliable information. We are trying to do our best, but...
REPORTER:
This morning you said that 120.i.s still less than what the 4
EPA says is the trigger level for evacuation -- 120 mrs what is the trigger level for evacuation?
EP,A's reccomended guide I believe is 1000 over the course GERUSKY:
of the incident.
s REPORTER:
1000 mrs?
GERUSKY:
Over the course of the incident.
REPORTER:
Cumulative?
GERUS KY :
Yes.
REPORTER:
So we would have several hundred already?
GERUSKY :
We have not had several hundred already.
REPORTER:
What is your estimate of how many we have had?
GERUS KY :
I still think it is below 100.
REPORTER:
You mean hour by hour cumulative?
GERUSKY:
The total to any one individual I believe is less than 100 at this point.
REPORTER:
Are you aware that we are getting =
= and reports from Dauphin County in terms of whether or. net this
---inardible - -
GOVERNOR:
We are getting conflicting reports *too.
What we are trying to do is give you our best estimate of what the accurate facts are.
REPORTER:
You are saying it was a controlled emmission...
GOVERNOR:
No, it was an uncontrolled one.
-REPORTER: '
I am sorry, uncontrolled. Could'you explain that to me, could you make an overall statement of what that means?
GERUSKY:
It was unexpected and they could not stop it.
REPORTER:
Where was that emission, in the reactor room, or in the auxiliary building?.
j GERUSKY:
I believe it,was the auxiliary building but I don't know.
~
SEXTON:
Could we please lron...
.g GERUSKY:
Same location, I think that, I think it is the same location that we normally were getting ----- from.
REPORTER:
So there is no problem in the reactor room that you know of?
GERUSKY:
,No, there was no problem in the reactor room.
..-. ~
REPORTER:
You said that sater that was being transferred from one *ank to another tank..
GERUSKY:
From one area o another area.
It
-more-
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PART 2 Page 3a REPORTER:
What water are you talking alcut?
'I i
GERUSKY :
The coolant water. The high-level coolant water $ hat cengAins the xenon...
g s
FERRICK:
Tom, was that from one area within the auxiliary building to another?
GERUSKY:
I am sorry I don't know.
1 REPORTER:
Was this primary water?
GERUSKY:
Primary waters g
PANYARD:
You don't know where it was being from, or to?
GERUSKY:
That is right.
I. don't right now.
Our nuclear engineeI ~.
is not here.
y GOVERNOR:
One of the reasons that the President has dispatched Mr.
Denton, who was the chief operations officer of the NRC 4
here, is to answer those kinds of questions so that we have a c:mmunications facility set up between Washington, our office, other appropriate agencies that will dispell some of the multi-directional reports of facts that we get.
ROSS:
-- - -- in aud ibl e -------
GOVERNOR:
I don't know.
j f
REPORTER:
In your conversation with the President what did he say J
about this?
GOVERNOR:
Well, he was concerned that there be no panic, that there be no going off half-cocked on the basis of facts that haven't been verified and that there be appropriate communication's of the best estimate of the situation to the people.
Our prime concern is the safety of the pecple of central Pennsylvania. In order to assess what we must do to protect their safety, we need accurate information and I think the-President agreed with me that we needed a better capability to communic.ste and to fact fine and accordingly he has sent his own representative because this in NRC jurisdiction, his own representative here to assist and keep us all fully informed.
}
MACLEOD:
- Governor, do your wife and children intend to stay in.
Har,risburg?
s l
GOVERNOR:
,Yes.
.iACLEOD:
How about the Lt. Gov.'s?
Is she going to stay in the area?
LT. GOV:
She is currently at Indiantown Gap and she wil.1 ntay there.
She was in Ha,rrisburg yesterday.
PANYARD:
Mr. Gerusky could you explain about the overall dos'eage of mrs? Yesterday, we asked the question i there was an qt average reading. We said we didn't have one.
Number one, do we have one today and number two, if in fact., the say the lowest level of. mrs were one per hour since this incident took place, 48 o 50 hours5.787037e-4 days <br />0.0139 hours <br />8.267196e-5 weeks <br />1.9025e-5 months <br /> ago, is that a multiple, so a person could figure out their mr deseage by miltifplying
,the number of hours times the average...
.a.
GERUSKY:
What we are going to try to do is find out the highest reading i
at any point where anybcdy could have been and give,that j
as the highest. We don't, now that doesn't mean people are there, but the exposure has beearvarying,all over the pla'ce,.
I
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4
.~w r-.
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PART 2 Page 4a GERUSKY (C,NTINUED), number one we ha've got some low wind.-peed, and the '
wind direction is shifting all of the time.
g,.
But in order to find the doseage, -----using the n' umber-of, PANYARD:
hcurs that the accident...
Yes, mr times hours is mr per hours times hours will give you.
GERUSKY:
millirem.
PANYARD:
And you still believe it is under 100 on the average?
GERUSKY:
I think so, I mean it is my educated guess, and I have been in the business since 56...
7EPORTER:
How many more days does this emission have to continte before it gets dangerous enough that you have to say hey, r
you people have been exposed?
GOVERNOR:
We can't make that judgement now, i
REPORTER:
Two weeks, three weeks, eight months, or what, I mean this may never be cleaned up for a while.
GERUSKY:
That is what we are concerned about.
PANYARD:
People llke Dr. Sternglass would make that judgement wouldn't,.*
they? how long before damage could set in?
-that they don't have to REPORTER:
Governor Thornburgh you ----
leave, are you recommending that people not come into the area?
GOVERNOR:
Well, that is probably general statement, but on the other hand there may be need for them to come into the area, and I don't want to embargo the area.
I think that any unnecessary travel in the area would probably be justified.
REPORTER:
Let's get back to the NRC thing,-
-missed several words because cassette turned over)
CRITCHLOW:
based on the mr reading they had above the plant at that time that was simply > a. calculation of what the maximum potential dose could have been for someone downwind, of the plant at that particula; time. There is no reading anywhere that indicates that anyone got that heavy a dese.
,It was not based on any readi.:gs and.there ha're beeni no -
read,ings that high. There is no reading of 125.
MACL'EOD :
Do you know what the highest reading is as a resu't of that burst of radiation --
--inaudible 1
GERUSKY:
The highest one we had I told you was, offsite 14.
BRUTTO:
Was that in Goldsboro?
GERUSKY:
We didn't go to Goldsboro, we had the team down where we thought the plume was.
-e ut i.
BRUTTO:
Give me'a geographic location.
GERUSKY:
It varied slightly, but.it was south of thc. plant, a mile south of the plant to the center. In the center,the reading at the center was about 14.
It has now dropped to ----.,
BRUTTO:
- Was it in a populated area?-
GERUSKY:
It is a low population zone.
e
-more-
PART 2 Page 5a MACLEOD:
How much of a mr w.?.s it?
s GERUSKY:
14 mr per hour.
.i e
E youindicatefromyour,expeien[d inaudible--
ROSS:
is a guess right, ok, now, if you were to have an xray, how many x-rays would that be?
Three chest x-rays probably in Pennsylvania. It would give GE :USKY:
you a 1C0 mrs to the chest, this is the whole body exposure,
?
That would not necessarily be because you would be wearing clot'.hes
'ROSS:
GERUSKY:
No.
s RESPORTER:
Have you found any eading over the course over on. point
-did you constantl,y,
where ----
inaudible----=-
=-
record this hour by hour since the accident occurred?
~
Can we get a reading from that one place from the start to now?
GERUSKY:
We don't have those tabulated in any fashion right now, they are tabulated at the plant. What we were planning on doing and I am not sures if we initiated it because of this incident or not, we have surrounding the plant = ---
docimeters, which are radiation u itectors, as part of our routine gnvironmental monitoring,'rogram.
We were planning on pulling those this morning and naving them replaced with I don't know if we did because of the incident new ones.
we were hoping that the course of the action was over, and-that we could give you a determination of what it was at those locations surrounding the plant.
REPORTER:
What was the highest reading before this morning's incid4nt?
Our highest reading?
GERUSKY:
REPORTER:
Before any incident?
GERUSKY:
We found'a 20 in Goldsboro yesterda.y morning.
REPORTER:
We are saying before the incident occurred, what was the highest reading?
GIRUSKY :
Before what incident-REPORTER:
Before the atomic, EIPORTER:
,Before Wednesday?
GERUSKY:
Less'than a tenth of an mr per hour.
REPORTER:
Governor, the utility said today that they would continue these emmissions of radioactive gases and the first, and first emmission was probably this af ternoon, what will this do.to your plan, will continued emmissions have an effect on what you reqeu3t of the populus here? What would you anticipate if there were a series of contined...
GOVERNOR:
Depends on the assessment I get -from the people who are t
monitoring, depends on the assessment that I get from the people who are monitoring.
REPORTER:
inaudible-==-
GOVE3NOR:
We'll react to what the situation is.
youknowwhosetoffthealark?
REPORTER:
1X)
GOVERNOR:
It was set off by mistake'by an employee of the city.
L e
-more-l
e PART 3 Page 6a I think Paul said that*that alarm is to notify people to take REPORTER:
Are people being informed that if they get a long *.
cover.
sizen that they should head for cover if it would,be reactivated? Are people being informed that if they get.,
a long....
The meaning of the take cov'er signal is not generally known WILLIAMSON:
by the population and would not be used under these circumstances to, for thaw purpose.
REPORTER:
What city employee made the decision to set of f the al rm?. '
,5 Wasn't it Kevin Malloy?
GOVERROR:
I don't know what his name is'.
It was set off by a low-level s
employee.
e REPORTER:
It wasn't a civil defense employee?
GOVERNOR:
It wasn't an ordered, planned siren.
MACLEOD:
Did he just bump into it or did he deliberately trip it off ?
I don't know I wasn't there, and I really am not terribly ~
GOVERNOR:
concerned with assessing responsibility for ' setting off alarms a.t this time.
REPORTER:
was ordered by the county officials?
WILLIAMSON:
That is not correct.
GOVERNOR:
That is not correct.
The emissions that are still coming from the reactor, are they ROSS:
less now than they were before and as each emission goes they are decreasing?
GERUSKY:
I don't know, the second one that occurred was very small.
CRITCHLOW:
These gentlemen have to get back to the cz= mand post in the Governor's Office. That will conclude the press conference.
We'll keep you briefed either through informal briefings by myself or further briefings here.
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