I am a retired member of the Dickinson College Physics Department with a doctoral degree in theoretical nuclear physics. And, for over 10 years before the TMI accident I had been teaching courses in modern physics at Dickinson College.  In these courses our students would learn about how to detect particles emitted by radioactive materials and how to determine radiation levels using Geiger counters that we had in the physics department.

In 1978, before MET ED installed radioactive fuel in the brand new TMI reactor building, faculty and students from the Dickinson College Physics Department were invited to view the control center and the reactor building before the nuclear fuel was installed. We really enjoyed the opportunity to see the facilities, and look at an elaborate scale model of the plant. I was in awe of the its complexity. The TMI plant is only a bit over 20 miles from Dickinson.

I grabbed a Geiger Counter from our radiation lab and took some background readings on campus

On March 28, 1979 startling news was being aired in the afternoon announcing an accident at TMI that may have caused the release of radioactive gases to the atmosphere.  Early the next morning John Luetzelschwab, a fellow Dickinson College Physicist, and I grabbed a Geiger Counter from our radiation lab and took some background readings on campus. We found that the radiation level was typical of the outdoor background radiation in Carlisle on a nice day.

Next, John and I drove east from Carlisle toward his house which was located just across the river from TMI. As we approached the west shore there was almost no eastbound traffic. From time to time we pulled over to check the background radiation levels.

Goldsboro was totally abandoned

It was a strange drive. As we drove east toward the west shore there was less and less traffic. Approaching the Westshore town of Goldsboro, located just across the river from TMI, was a weird experience. Goldsboro was totally abandoned. Next, we turned right and headed south towards Etters where John’s house was located. As we pulled into his driveway we could see TMI from his yard. We took some measurements with our Geiger Counter and found the radiation level to be higher than it had been in Carlisle, but not a lot higher.

After, we got out of his car, John went in his house and got a portable vacuum cleaner. We sucked air through one of the filters that we’d grabbed earlier from our nuclear lab at Dickinson. This would allow us to do a spectral analysis later in the lab.

When we returned to the College, John and I recruited a group of physics majors to take turns monitoring radiation on campus and at several locations near TMI.  The students who were monitoring would then call local radio and TV stations on a regular basis to report on readings.

Students found very little radiation increase in Carlisle.

Students found very little radiation increase in Carlisle.  However, they found some increase at locations nearer to TMI. But, none of the levels were significantly higher than normal background levels. However, there was an interesting wrinkle! When we had occasional light rain storms the readings at locations where it had rained were modestly elevated. This is to be expected because radon gas emitted by rocks and soil in the area would be washed out of the air and detected by our monitors.  Since we didn’t want to panic people, we asked students to report that “radiation levels were consistent with local meteorological conditions.”

This monitoring continued for several weeks until the “disaster” was considered to be over. We were very proud of our students!

Priscilla