The Three Mile Island Unit 2 accident on March 28, 1979 caused
concerns about the possibility of radiation-induced health
effects, principally cancer, in the area surrounding the plant.
Because of those concerns, the Pennsylvania Department of Health
maintained for 18 years a registry of more than 30,000 people
who lived within five miles of Three Mile Island at the time of
the accident. The state's registry was discontinued in June 1997
without any evidence of unusual health trends. Indeed, more than
a dozen major, independent health studies of the accident showed
no evidence of any abnormal number of cancers around TMI years
after the accident. The only detectable effect was psychological
stress during and shortly after the accident. The studies found
that the radiation releases during the accident were minimal,
well below any levels that have been associated with health
effects from radiation exposure. The average radiation dose to
people living within 10 miles of the plant was eight millirem,
with no more