1. Chapter 32 Section 4

2. Nixon and the Environment  Silent Spring (1962): Rachel Carson, talks about ill effects of DDT (pesticide)  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): formed in 1970  Occupational Health and Safety Admin (OSHA)  Clean Air Act (1970)  Endangered Species Act (1973)  Earth Day (April 22, 1970)

3. Nuclear Energy Debate  Because of oil energy crisis Americans became aware of our dependence on foreign oil and problems it might cause  Begin to search for other type of energy sources  Some suggest exploring and using more Nuclear Energy

4. What is Nuclear Energy?   Nuclear power is the controlled use of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is energy in uranium that can be released by nuclear reactions in a machine called a nuclear reactor This energy is made into electricity, which then can be used to power machines and heat homes   Nuclear power plants also make radioactive waste that could be harmful if it is not stored properly. Nuclear power plants produce less radioactive material than a coal fired power station

5. Nuclear Power Plant

6. Three Mile Island  March 28, 1979—Harrisburg, PA  One of the nuclear reactors at a Three Mile Island (nuclear power plant) malfunctions  Reactor overheated and its cooling system failed, fear was that dangerous radiation might escape and spread  Two days later some does escape  Some residents are evacuated  MASS PANIC  For some confirms, danger of using nuclear power  April 9, 1979, danger is said to be over and residents can return home

7. Summary   It was the worst accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history.   The incident was rated a five on the seven-point International Nuclear Event Scale Accident With Wider Consequences

8. Three Mile Island

9. Accident at 3 Mile Island

10. Chernobyl   A nuclear disaster which occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Pripyat, Ukraine. At that time, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union.   The event was the worst accident in the history of nuclear power Because there was no containment building to trap the radiation, radioactive fallout drifted over parts of the western Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, the UK, and the eastern United States. Large areas of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia were badly contaminated. About 60% of the radioactive fallout landed in Belarus. About 350,000 people needed to be evacuated (moved away) and moved to other places where they could live after the accident. [

12. Chernobyl   Prior to the accident, there was a planned power reduction. By the beginning of the day shift, the power level had reached 50%. Following this, randomly, one of the regional power stations went offline. It was then requested that the further power reduction would be postponed. Despite this request, the reduction and preparations for a test that was to happen continued.   The accident occurred when the fourth reactor suffered a huge power increase. This led to the core of the reactor exploding. Due to this explosion, large amounts of radioactive materials and fuel were released into the atmosphere. This lit the combustable graphite moderator on fire. This fire greatened the release of radioactive material, which was carried by the smoke of the fire, into the environment and atmosphere.

13. Chernobyl   Most of the people affected have not died yet. When and if the people involved die of cancer, or related diseases, it will be hard to tell if this was because of the accident. A 2005 IAEA report tells of 56 direct deaths; of those, 47 were accident workers and 9 were children who died of thyroid cancer. The report estimates that up to 4,000 people may die from long term diseases related to the accident.

14. Abandon building near site