A radiation leak was reported in the first nuclear unit of the Three Mile Island plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the local WPVI channel informs.

Glossary Rem

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) says the accident occurred when specialists of Exelon Corporation – the leading nuclear power plant operator in the United States – were doing overhaul repairs in the unit. An airborne radiological contamination alarm sounded when they were dismantling numerous old pipes.

About 150 employees of the plant and Exelon were evacuated immediately and sent home. The NRC says the unit has been shut for refueling and maintenance; therefore there is no public health risk.

The workers, who were in the unit at the moment of the accident, were tested for radiation intake later. One of them was found to have received 16 millirem of exposure, and others received lower levels of contamination, while the annual occupational dose limit is 2 000 millirem.

The contamination was reportedly confined to the building itself, and none was found outside. Radiation safety specialists arrived shortly to determine the cause of the leak, detect the source and eliminate it.

Other reactors of the plant have been shut down as well for reasons of safety. Experts assure that there is no threat to health and safety of the nearby community.

The Three Mile Island plant is in bad repute in the United States. In 1979, a malfunction resulted in the release of a huge amount of radioactive gases that caused panic among the local population.

It has been considered the most significant accident in the history of the American commercial nuclear power generating industry so far.

Related link: – Radiation incident at Three Mile Island – WPVI, 22.11.2009

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