ABSTRACT
The accident at the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant held the world's attention for over a week in March and April 1979. Nearly 1 million people were threatened by what was thought at the time to be a significant release of radioactivity. The status of the situation was so uncertain that, despite no formal evacuation order, over 100,000 people chose to leave the area (Cutter et al, 1979; Flynn and Chalmers, 1980; Flynn, 1982). Now, four years after the accident, Three Mile Island remains in the public's eye. Continued debates about the effects of the accident and the future of the plant as an energy producer are news items that appear frequently. It is perhaps most visible as a symbol of the technological hazards that threaten society's well-being.
