Low Radiation Levels in PA Rain Water

Radioactive material from Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant has traveled around the world, and been detected in Pennsylvania rainwater.

State and federal officials insist the low levels of Iodine-131 don’t pose a public health threat, but nevertheless, Department of Environmental Protection inspectors spent the weekend testing drinking water. “Public water samples were taken from facilities in Norristown, East Straudsburg, Harrisburg, Williamsport, Greenville and Pittsburgh,” said Governor Corbett at a Capitol press conference. “After repeated testing throughout the weekend, results were within normal levels, in the single digits, and below the federal level. The bottom line is our public drinking water is safe.”

The radioactive element was discovered in Massachusetts, California and Washington rainwater, as well. In Pennsylvania, the Iodine-131 was 25 times below the federally-set “level of concern.” “Taking potassium iodide is absolutely unnecessary under these circumstances, and could cause harmful side effects,” Corbett said. “Although usually harmless, it can present a danger to people with allergies to iodine or shellfish, or those who have thyroid problems.” Pharmacies across the country have reported increased sales of the emergency pills since Japan’s nuclear crisis began.

An Environmental Protection Agency statement on the rainwater test reads, “While short-term elevations such as these do not raise public health concerns – and the levels seen in rainwater are expected to be relatively short in duration – the U.S. EPA has taken steps to increase the level of nationwide monitoring of precipitation, drinking water, and other potential exposure routes to continue to verify that. EPA’s only recommendation to state and local governments is to continue to coordinate closely with EPA, CDC and FDA – EPA will continue to communicate our nationwide sampling results as they come in.” Corbett said the state will stay in contact with the EPA, Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other federal agencies, as water tests continue.

Corbett noted the radiation announcement came on the 32nd anniversary of Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island nuclear accident. “The lessons we learned from that incident and the safeguards that were installed, including constant monitoring, have made us better prepared for situations like this,” he said.

Pitt Hosts Discussion On Nuclear Dangers in Japan

In the wake of the nuclear emergency at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi power plant following last week's earthquake and tsunami, a panel of nuclear and structural engineers this evening will discuss the condition of the Japanese power plant as well as the state of America’s power plants.

John Metzger, director of the Nuclear Engineering Department at Pitt which is hosting the event, says the purpose is to help inform and encourage discussion about the safety of nuclear power. He says the event will open with an explanation and proceed to a panel of three men who work in the field of nuclear technology.

Metzger wants to promote the idea that nuclear technology is one of the safest industries in the world, and that no one could plan for a disaster of last week’s magnitude. Metzger says America’s nuclear facilities are considered “disaster proof” for things like earthquakes and hurricanes.

“The plants in the United States, not only are the plants themselves designed that way, but the people like Westinghouse and GE, this is all integrated into their design and it’s something that the [Nuclear Regulatory Commission] polices and the industry itself polices,” Metzger says.

Metzger says you can’t judge a nuclear incident very harshly when the disaster that caused it was unfathomable.

“I think that the bottom line is that this incident has to be taken in context to the disaster but I also want to emphasize that the culture of safety in the nuclear industry I believe the nuclear industry will learn from this and there will be some modifications accordingly.”

The panel discussion will be held this evening at 6:15 in Pitt’s Benedum Hall, Room 157. Panelists include structural engineer, Kent Harries; reactor operator at the Beaver Valley Power Station, David Haser; and a member of Westinghouse Electric's operations department, David Helling. All three are adjunct professors at the University.

Armstrong County Nuclear Cleanup Moves Forward

The Army Corps of Engineers will host a public meeting in Vandergrift Monday to discuss the next steps of the cleanup of radioactive soil in southern Armstrong County.

Corps spokesman Jeff Hawk says he expects and wants the public to ask tough questions about the disposal of nuclear waste in Apollo and Parks, where engineers have been testing the air, water, and soil for radiation.

Hawk says they won’t actually be removing any waste this summer – instead they’ll build a network of roads, a material handling building, a wastewater treatment structure, air and water monitors, and a new gas line. He says that’s all in preparation for the actual $76 million cleanup, beginning next year.

The two plants produced fuel for submarines and power plants from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Hawk says the Corps plans to ship the nuclear waste to a facility in Utah.

Minor Incident at Beaver Valley Plant

Earlier this morning, the Beaver Valley 2 nuclear power plant had a minor incident, designated as an “Unusual Event”.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Spokesman Neil Sheehan says the reactor coolant system had unidentified leakage, at 3:03 a.m., at the rate of more than 25 gallons leaking per minute. Sheehan says it was because of a misalignment and an open valve. The problem was spotted within nine minutes, and the unusual event terminated at 4:04 a.m.
The leakage had not been in contact with people, but had it continued, it would have leaked into the containment building. The system has been realigned. Inspectors went to the plant to ensure that workers properly took care of the incident.

Power Plant Decommissioning Shortfalls

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, after seeing the results of its biannual checkup on decommissioning funds, is sending letters to 18 plant owners that are short. The plants listed are stationed from Vermont to Alabama, but locally hit was the Beaver Valley Power Station. NRC Spokesperson Scott Burnell says the letter is not a bill. Rather, it is asking how the plant owners are going to cover the remaining funds. Those with discrepancies includes 18 nuclear plants with 26 nuclear reactors total, and estimated remaining costs range from $12 million to $204 million. Burnell says this means that in a calculation between the amount of money in the fund, estimated gains in the fund, along with when the plant expects to close, are all calculated in the formula. There are currently 104 reactors in the process of decommissioning, and all of those funds add up to approximately $41 billion.

Pitt Library Showcases Three Mile Island Documents

Nancy Watson has a task on her hands that most would find overwhelming. Over one thousand full boxes of notes and documents sit in her attic, waiting to be sorted through to find a mere handful of papers. The strange part? She loves her work.

Pitt's Dick Thornburgh Archives house nearly all of the former Pennsylvania governor's personal and professional paperwork; from his time as an undergrad at Yale to his prominent role in the Three Mile Island fiasco, most of his documented life is in Watson's hands. In remembrance of the 30th anniversary of the meltdown, she has prepared an informative display for the Hillman Library at Pitt. Included in the showcase will be newspaper clippings, personal memos to staff members, wire stories to the state Capitol, and many other items from the time of the accident. Watson says Thornburgh had one of the most central roles in the entire incident. "The federal government was involved, political figures and mayors of nearby towns were involved, the company that owned the plant was involved... but the decision making, and the need to convey the news to the public... really fell to him."

Watson says there is an entire generation of young people around today that may know nothing about the Three Mile Island accident -- though it affects them more than they might know. "There were no licenses given out subsequently... The threat and the concern for safety just closed down the subject of creating and building more nuclear plants." But now that stigma is fading, however slowly, and the possibility of using nuclear energy is becoming more and more promising. Watson says if we do choose to use nuclear energy in America, we can and should take a lesson from what happened at Three Mile Island. "It has exacted caution about the safety of nuclear plants in a way that I think would not have been true if Three Mile Island had not happened," says Watson. Anyone interested in viewing Watson's display should head to the Hillman Library at Pitt, where it will be showing for the next few months.

Listen to NPR's coverage of the 30th anniversary.

30th Anniversary of Accident at Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant

March 28th is the 30th anniversary of the partial meltdown at the nuclear power plant on Three Mile Island near Harrisburg.

Larry Foulke, Director of Nuclear Programs at Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering says the event caused a great scare but not one death or injury, and a Swiss study in 2001 found that nuclear had fewer fatalities per megawatt than other forms of power generation.

Foulke believes we should build more nuclear power plants because they produce no carbon dioxide, or sulfur or nitrous oxides, and the necessary uranium is available from friendly countries--Canada and Australia.

Foulke says nuclear waste is compact and 97% of it consists of reusable uranium, which future generations will most likely re-fabricate to use in nuclear power plants.


While it's safe to store the waste where generated, as is done now, Foulke thinks it would be preferable to store all the waste at the Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada, where it could be protected.

NRC Chairman Visits Westinghouse

The head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Dale Klein, toured the Westinghouse facility today and met privately with company officials to discuss their work on advanced reactors. Klein says the country's energy needs are changing. The NRC is considering proposals to build nuclear power plants for the first time since the 1970s. The process includes a 30 month review, and site approval. So far, nine applications have been submitted. Three sites have been approved for possible construction, and more applications are expected. Klein says if approved, the first reactor would be ready to produce electricity in 2015. The NRC is working with Westinghouse because the company is building nuclear reactors in China.