Respiratory Protection Lessons Learned at Three Mile Island

At the time of the accident at Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) in March 1979, the station was ill-prepared for the respiratory protection demands that arose. Although a recognized respiratory protection program that permitted the application of protection factors for planned maintenance under controlled conditions was in place, it lacked the depth and detail needed to handle the immediate accident and subsequent recovery. Major problems realized immediately following the accident included an inadequate supply of emergency equipment and compressed air charging capacity, too few qualified personnel, and access to plant training and fit-test facilities. For the long-term cleanup, a complete revision of the scope and depth of the respiratory program was necessary. A full-time respiratory protection supervisor was assigned to oversee the program, which was expanded to include the following:

1. extensive training and improved fit-testing techniques
2. larger equipment inventory
3. detailed emergency response provisions
4. large-scale decontamination and maintenance.