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THREE MILSE ISLAND

http://www.anbex.com/history.php#three

The 1979 meltdown at the Three Mile Island (TMI) (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) nuclear plant brought the US closer to a nuclear catastrophe than ever before or since.

Fearing iodine might escape, the emergency response authorities sent to TMI immediately ordered KI for possible distribution.

But none was available, so in an unprecedented action, the FDA attempted to manufacture the drug.

Tablets could not be produced in time, so raw potassium iodide was mixed with water to make a low-grade pharmaceutical.

Difficulties were encountered in finding bottles and matching caps, and there was no time to prepare labeling or usage instructions.

Worse, the solution began breaking-down in the bottles almost immediately, and officials later acknowledged that they had serious concerns about its safety due to its poor quality.

However, faced with the possibility of millions of people being exposed to radioactive iodine without any protection whatsoever, authorities reasoned that poor KI was better than none, and decided to ship what they could.

It took six days, and eventually 237,013 bottles were sent to the reactor site.

The accident was nearly over by the time the product arrived.

It was stored (in secret, watched by an armed guard) in a Harrisburg warehouse while officials tried to figure out if--and how--to distribute it.

Because the amount received was far less than what might be needed, emergency personnel expressed serious fears of the possibility of rioting should a distribution be attempted.

Fortunately, though, the accident was contained, and no iodine was released.

With relief, the FDA ordered the KI solution destroyed, and the incident faded from memory.

But it could have been different. Harrisburg lies west of New York and Washington, and had a major release occurred with easterly winds, large cities on the Atlantic coast could have received significant exposure.

Later, estimates pointed to the possibility of more than 500,000 people suffering thyroid injury in the "worst-case" scenario.

The enormous danger posed by the unavailability of KI was apparent to the Presidential panel (the Kemeny Commission) that investigated the TMI accident.

Their report to the nation noted:

"The greatest concern during the accident was that significant amounts of radioactive material (especially radioactive iodine) trapped within the plant might be released."

Commission Recommendation:

"An adequate supply of the radiation protective (thyroid blocking) agent, potassium iodide for human use, should be available regionally for distribution to the general population ... affected by a radiological emergency."

This recommendation was widely accepted by scientists. Even the NRC announced it would support KI stockpiling. The issue appeared closed.

But the nuclear industry resisted the recommendations to stockpile KI.

Fearing the drug's availability would send a message that nuclear power was unsafe,

industry groups argued that another serious accident was virtually impossible.

Further, they claimed that even if one should occur, there could be no release of radioactive iodine.

Surprisingly, they were supported in this position by the NRC, which was also worried about its reputation.

Like the industry they regulated, the NRC was against any lessening of public confidence in nuclear technology, and despite their initial promises to support KI stockpiling, they chose to "study" the matter and wait for the memory of TMI to disappear.

They studied KI for six years.

Then, the agency broke its earlier promise to stockpile, reneged on its commitment, and formulated a policy that called mandatory KI stockpiling "not worthwhile."

Instead, a policy emerged that was premised on the idea that it would be cheaper to let people develop cancer and treat them afterwards, than to use KI to prevent the disease in the first place.

Essentially, the industry decided to protect itself instead of the people.

The appalling disregard for the health of Americans inherent in this policy has not abated over time.

It was succinctly summed-up by the Director of the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety, who wrote that his agency

"stands firmly behind its contention that hundreds of thousands of people live normal healthy lives without functioning thyroid glands."

Virtually no one challenged this policy or the reasoning behind it -- until Chernobyl.