Nuclear Accidents

The Three Mile Island accident dramatically increased public awareness of emergency planning for nuclear power plants. It led to massive regulatory changes and new requirements for preparing for an accident. We have been involved with work for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of Energy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Three Mile Island Public Health Fund concerning radiological emergency preparedness. Among the topics we have investigated are evacuation planning issues, warning systems, public information programs, the adequacy of emergency plans, the impacts of the Three Mile Island accident, and protective action liability issues.

Selected Publications

  • Sorensen, J., and Vogt, B., "Emergency Planning for Nuclear Accidents: Contentions and Issues", Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, 78(2), 210-25. 1988.

  • Sorensen, J., and D. Mileti, "An Assessment of Pre-emergency Information Programs For Nuclear Power Plant Accidents", in Preparing for Nuclear Power Plant Accidents, D. Golding, J. Kasperson, and R. Kasperson (eds.), Boulder, CO: Westview Press, pp. 311-336. 1995.

  • Mileti, D., and J. Sorensen, "Assessing Warning Systems for Nuclear Power Plant Accidents", in Preparing for Nuclear Power Plant Accidents, D. Golding, J. Kasperson, and R. Kasperson (eds.), Boulder, CO: Westview Press, pp. 337 -375. 1995.

  • Richardson, B., J. Sorensen, and J. Soderstrom, "Explaining the Psychological and Social Impacts of a Nuclear Power Plant Accident", Journal of Applied Social Psychology, Vol. 17 No.1, 1987, 16-37. 1987.

  • Sorensen, J., "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Warning Systems for Nuclear Power Plant Emergencies: Criteria and Application", in Nuclear Power: Assessing and Managing Hazardous Technologies, M. Pasqualetti and D. Pijawka (eds.), Boulder, CO: Westview Press, pp. 259-277. 1984.

  • Sorensen, J., "Public Confidence in Local Management Officials: Organizational Credibility and Emergency Behavior", in Proceedings of a Conference on Nonradiological Evacuation Risks During a Nuclear Plant Emergency, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, pp. 102-108. 1984.

  • Sorensen, J., and Mileti, D., "Warning Systems for Nuclear Power Plant Emergencies", Nuclear Safety, 30(3), July-September, 358-70. 1989.

  • Sorensen, J. "Three Mile Island." In P. Wexler (ed.) The Encyclopedia of Toxicology, Second Edition, pp. 184-186. New York: Academic Press, 2005.

 

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