This Day in History: The Three Mile Island nuclear accident happened on this day in 1979. This one incident changed the public perception of the risks of nuclear energy, seemingly forever. However, no one died. No one was injured. The other reactor on the site was still in operation until September 20 2019.
A coolant leak at the Three Mile Island's Unit 2 nuclear reactor outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania led to the core overheating and a partial meltdown. Cancer fears had the Pennsylvania Department of Health track people living within a 5 mile radius of Three Mile Island until 1997, but it was determined that there had been no unusual health trends or increased cancer cases in the area immediately surrounding the accident. Petr Beckmann stated three decades ago in his classic "The Health Hazards of NOT Going Nuclear," every means of generating power has dangers and risks, but nuclear power “is far safer than any other form of large-scale energy conversion yet invented.” Beckmann observed, “dam disasters have killed thousands of people (at least 2,000 in India in August 1979); many hundreds have died in explosions and fires of gas, oil, butane, gasoline, and other fuels...”
Nuclear energy results in 99.8% fewer deaths than brown coal; 99.7% fewer than coal; 99.6% fewer than oil; and 97.5% fewer than gas. Nuclear energy is by far the safest energy source. "Emotional not rational reasons are why people have rejected nuclear energy. Looking at the basic facts, nuclear energy is the cleanest, safest, and cheapest approach to energy production. The risks of nuclear energy are greatly exaggerated by activists, politicians, and the media, which promote agendas rather than fact."~Len Calderone
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