Salsaga Blog

WASHINGTON, March 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Following is the daily “Profile America” feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:FRIDAY, MARCH 28: A NEAR DISASTERProfile America — Friday, March 28th. One of the most frightening industrial accidents in the U.S. occurred on this date in 1979. It was 4 a.m. at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant on the Susquehanna River, south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. A cascading chain of events started when someone mistakenly cross-connected air and water lines in the plant’s number two reactor. Before the crisis was over, the plant reportedly came close to a hydrogen gas explosion and a meltdown of its uranium core, which would have caused extensive radiation contamination. The incident sparked a large scale review of how nuclear power plants were built and operated. Today, there are 104 such generating plants across the country, producing nearly one-fifth of the country’s electricity. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at .Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments ready to air on a monthly CD or on Internet at (look under the “Newsroom” button). For further information, contact Rick Reed at 1-301-763-2812, fax at 1-301-457-3670, or e-mail at rreed(At)census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau

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