The Atomic States of America

 

Available on DVD from The Video Project: http://www.videoproject.com/atstofam.... In 2010, the United States approved the first new nuclear power plant in 32 years, heralding a "Nuclear Renaissance". But that was before the Fukushima accident in Japan renewed a fierce public debate over the safety and viability of nuclear power. The Atomic States of America journeys to nuclear reactor communities around the country to provide a comprehensive exploration of the history and impact to date of nuclear power, and to investigate the truths and myths about nuclear energy. From the gates of Three Mile Island, to the cooling ponds of Braidwood, IL, the film introduces people who have been on the front lines of this issue for decades: community advocates, investigative journalists, renowned physicists, nuclear engineers, Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspectors, and former government leaders. Based in part on Kelly McMasters' book "Welcome to Shirley", about growing up in the shadow of the Brookhaven National Lab on Long Island, the film explores the evidence for serious health consequences documented by people living in Shirley, as well as near other nuclear facilities. Their concerns call into question who can be trusted to provide truthful information, and how much influence the nuclear industry has over the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and its decisions. As the nation stands at the crossroads of a possible Nuclear Renaissance, The Atomic States of America inspires informed discussion on the safety, viability and future of nuclear power in the United States.

JIMMY CARTER: Nuclear Reactor Meltdown

 

The Historical Society of Ottawa

The world’s first nuclear reactor meltdown occurred right here in the Ottawa Valley — and a young U.S. naval officer (future U.S. president Jimmy Carter) was brought in and put in charge of the team containing the disaster — 69 years ago this week.

Leading a team of two dozen men, 28-year old Lieutenant Carter had himself lowered into the damaged reactor. That week, Carter and his team courageously exposed themselves to a thousand times the level of radiation considered safe by today’s standards.

News of the December 12, 1952 reactor meltdown at Chalk River sent a shockwave of panic among scientists, politicians and the general public around the world.

With the partial meltdown came explosions and the reactor was flooded with hundreds of thousands of gallons of water.

When the Canadian government turned to U.S. nuclear experts for help, Lieutenant Carter was put in charge of the urgent operation. Carter was one of the few in the world at that time with any expertise in this new technology.

First, the reactor had to be shut down, and then disassembled and replaced.

An exact replica of the reactor was built on a nearby tennis court where Carter and his men practiced each move and tracked their work as they progressed. Every pipe, bolt and nut was rebuilt exactly to replicate the damaged reactor.

Carter divided himself and his men into teams of three. Each team worked 90-second shifts, rushing in and cleaning and repairing the reactor, precisely as they had practised on the tennis court.

A minute and a half was deemed the longest the human body could handle the amount of radiation that remained in the area — even with protective gear.

It was still way too much radiation. Carter and his men absorbed a year’s worth of radiation in each of those 90-second shifts. Carter’s urine was still testing as radioactive six months later and the future president’s health was affected for the rest of his life.

This nightmare experience affected Carter’s views on nuclear power for the rest of his days as well.

His first-hand exposure to the Chalk River disaster suddenly gave Carter a more profound respect for the destructive power of nuclear energy — and that influenced decisions he would make a quarter century later in the Oval Office — including his decision to cancel the U.S. military’s development of a neutron bomb.

Arthur Milnes has written about Jimmy Carter’s harrowing 1952 heroism at Chalk River:

http://www.cnn.com/.../05/milnes.carter.nuclear/index.html

(Naval History and Heritage Command Photo Archives Branch, photo no. L38-14.02.01)