Three Mile Island | Responding to Crises | 4
American Scandal
Audible
4.5 • 19.6K Ratings
🗓️ 13 October 2020
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
It's been over 40 years since the crisis unfolded at Three Mile Island. But the nuclear accident still lingers with us today, as the United States confronts new public health emergencies. At the time of the accident, Peter Bradford was a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He joins Lindsay to discuss what went wrong at Three Mile Island; who was responsible for the crisis; and how nuclear power could play a larger role in the future, as the world looks to fight climate change.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, Prime Members, you can listen to American Scandal add-free on Amazon Music, download the app today. |
| 0:19.0 | From Wondry, I'm Lindsay Graham, and this is American Scandal. |
| 0:30.0 | In March of 1979, the world sat captivated as a crisis unfolded in Southern Pennsylvania. |
| 0:40.0 | A nuclear power plant named Three Mile Island was approaching a potentially devastating meltdown, |
| 0:45.0 | and technicians and government regulators appeared powerless, unable to control a runaway situation. |
| 0:51.0 | Three Mile Island would turn out to be the most serious accident in the history of commercial nuclear power in the United States. |
| 0:57.0 | It would spur a generation of anti-nuclear activists and change how nuclear power plants were run and regulated. |
| 1:03.0 | But when the accident first began to unfold, technicians had little reason to believe it would turn into a full-blown crisis. |
| 1:09.0 | Three Mile Island appeared to be a huge problem, and it was a huge problem. |
| 1:14.0 | The accident first began to unfold, technicians had little reason to believe it would turn into a full-blown crisis. |
| 1:20.0 | Three Mile Island appeared to be facing a routine maintenance issue, yet that issue quickly cascaded into a series of larger problems as equipment failed, and alarms began to blare. |
| 1:31.0 | Sight staff were left scrambling, trying to figure out how to rein in an increasingly frightening situation. |
| 1:37.0 | Soon, the public caught wind of the events at Three Mile Island, and panic set in. |
| 1:42.0 | For nearby residents, the potential consequences of a meltdown seemed beyond belief. |
| 1:47.0 | Residents feared that the region could be contaminated with radiation and caused terrible problems for their health. |
| 1:53.0 | The panic only grew worse, as news of Three Mile Island trickled out into the press. |
| 1:58.0 | Soon, Pennsylvania's government set in motion a voluntary evacuation for pregnant women and children. |
| 2:03.0 | Other residents also began to flee the area, seeking safety from an invisible poison. |
| 2:09.0 | Ultimately, technicians at Three Mile Island were able to get control of the power plant and shut it down. |
| 2:15.0 | Still, the crisis raised profound questions for terrified residents and government leaders. |
| 2:20.0 | Some wondered how a nightmare scenario had gotten so close to becoming reality. |
| 2:24.0 | Others asked whether government regulators bore the guilt for letting nuclear power plants sprout across the country without proper oversight. |
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