The Three Mile Island

What is the Three Mile Island?

The Three Mile Island was a complex of nuclear power plants situated on an island in the Susquehanna River. Unit 2, the reactor involved in the incident, was a pressurized water reactor (PWR), a type commonly used in nuclear power plants.

What Happened at the Three Mile Island?

The Three Mile Island Unit 2 reactor, near Middleton PA, partially melted down on March 28th, 1979. This was the most serious accident in U.S commercial nuclear power plant operating history. There was only a small radioactive release and there was no detectable health effects on plant workers or the public, but in its aftermath sweeping changes were made involving emergency response planning, reactor operator training, human factors engineering , radiation protection and many other areas of nuclear power plant operation.