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WASHINGTON
- March 22 - Ten warnings of trouble at the Three Mile Island Unit 2 plant outside
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, were followed by the worst nuclear power plant
accident in US history on March 28, 1979. Twenty years later, overwhelming
evidence suggests that the nuclear power industry and the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission continue to ignore warning signs at nuclear plants. A new study by
the Union of Concerned Scientists finds that immediate steps must be taken to
prevent another reactor accident, one potentially more serious than Three Mile
Island.
"Apparently the industry and the NRC have forgotten about Three Mile
Island," said David Lochbaum, Nuclear Safety Engineer for UCS and author of
the study, Three Mile Island's Puzzling Legacy. "We can't rely on luck
alone to prevent another accident."
The study shows that the nuclear industry, with the NRC's blessing, is
calculating falsely high safety levels at nuclear power plants by ignoring past
problems. Tolerance of unacceptable performance by nuclear power plants exists
today as it did with Three Mile Island. For example, five nuclear plants have
been shut down for over a year to fix safety problems - problems that were
tolerated for years until outside pressure or malfunctions forced the NRC to
take action.
"Some of the plants operating today generate as many warning signals as
electricity," said Lochbaum. "The NRC must heed these signs and
protect the public."
As a result of the Three Mile Island accident, safety improvements in the
nuclear power industry were made in areas such as better operator training
programs, more comprehensive emergency response capabilities, and the creation
of an industry peer group. However, recent problems in each of these areas
strongly suggest that more homework is needed before these lessons can be
considered fully learned. The study also recognizes the need for continued
vigilance in improving plant safety.
The report finds that in order to protect public health and safety the
nuclear industry and NRC must:
- Develop risk studies based on all information, not just a
convenient sub-set of data.
- Respond quickly to warning signs, instead of waiting for problems
to avalanche into disaster.
- Communicate openly--without technical jargon--with the public on
nuclear safety matters.
- Remain aggressively vigilant to prevent complacency from eroding
safety.
"While forgetting disco and other vestiges of the
'70s doesn't hurt, forgetting the lessons of Three Mile Island would be a big
mistake," said Lochbaum.
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