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111446 1 (1980-01-01)

handle is hein.gao/gaobadppw0001 and id is 1 raw text is: /17%~;' The Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident: GAO's Role James E. Hatcher Mr Hatcher a management analyst on the nuclear staff of the Energy and Minerals Division joined GAO in 1969 after working for the CPA firm of Ernst & Ernst He re- ceived a B S degree in business ad- ministration from Concord College, Athens. West Virginia and has done graduate work at George Washington University and Mt Saint Mary s College He has been auditing iuctear-related activities for the past vears Near 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 28, 1979, an event occurred which triggered the worst accident in the history of commerical nu- clear power. Through a combina- tion of equipment malfunctions and plant operator error, the core of a nuclear reactor was voided of cooling water long enough to cause serious damage. Large amounts of radioactive materials and gases escaped from the core into the reactor system and sub- sequently into the massive con- crete containment building sur- rounding the reactor. Because the containment building was not im- mediately isolated from the rest of the plant, contaminated water was pumped into another, less secure building where unknown amounts of radioactivity escaped into the environment. While these environmental re- leases were not believed to have been significant, much confusion existed at the time of the accident. It was clear that the plant operators and owners, the nuclear industry, and the State and Federal Govern- ments did not fully understand and were not prepared to deal with the events as they happened. This has rekindled serious questions about the safety of nuclear power and has threatened to reduce further the potential of nuclear ower in the energy future of the United States. How a Ractor Operates A nuclear reactor is, simply stated, a sophisticated machine which produces the steam used to drive a turbine and produce electri- city. It is comparable to the boiler in a coal or oil-fired powerplant. The particular reactor at Three Mile Island is called a pressurized,

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