New documentary on Netflix
Three Mile Island: This is where the nuclear disaster happened that few have heard of
The Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant is located on an island
©Netflix
“Meltdown: The Accident of Three Mile Island” is new on Netflix. It is about a tragic nuclear accident that has had a lasting impact on the lives of many people. And that hardly anyone knows.
Even before Chernobyl and Fukushima there was a reactor accident that was to have far-reaching consequences. And yet only a few people know it: Pennsylvania, USA, March 28, 1979, at night: Parts of a reactor core melted in the Three Mile Islands power plant near Harrisburg. Radioactive steam and water were able to escape to the outside. The reactor had only been in operation for a few months at the time. But in unit 2 of the nuclear power plant, two pumps failed. In the hours after the accident, both human and technical failure caused a devastating accident:
New on Netflix: Documentary about Three Mile Island
Cooling water escaped unnoticed and the temperature inside the reactor rose so dramatically that the fuel rods heated up and a partial core meltdown occurred. Gases contaminated with radioactivity were released into the air and contaminated water into the nearby river. Only five days later could the cooling system be repaired and the reactor sealed.
Only two days after the incident, pregnant women and small children were evacuated from the vicinity of the power plant. An estimated 140,000 to 200,000 people were affected and had to leave their homes at least temporarily. “Meltdown: The Accident at Three Mile Island” is the new documentary on Netflix and is dedicated to this little-noticed nuclear accident. Director Kief Davidson not only lets those affected from back then have their say, who tell how they wanted to wash off the radioactivity in the shower, but also engineers.
At the beginning of the four-part documentary series, the main focus is on the incident itself and its immediate consequences, but as the story progresses, Rick Parks, an engineer at the Bechtel engineering firm, comes to the fore. He describes in chilling detail how the cleanup was so sloppy in terms of cost and time that there was a risk of further contamination of the air and land around Three Mile Island. (The anecdote about the use of duct tape in the cleanup has to be heard to be believed). Parks and others massively criticized the information policy of the responsible US authorities.
“Meltdown” is an informative compilation of interviews that once again shows the risks of nuclear energy. At no time does it appear preachy, which makes it a format well worth seeing. Because: Technically, Three Mile Island is still radioactive today, but according to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the radiation levels are not considered dangerous for humans or nature. Although, as can be seen in the documentary, this is disputed by local residents and former employees of the power plant, who to this day report health problems caused by the accident.