Nuclear Power and Public Safety

Emergency Planning for the Clinton Area

Special plans have already been developed to protect the public in the event of a nuclear incident in your area. These plans give specific attention to people who – like you – live, work or visit within 10 miles of a nuclear power plant. Procedures are in place to help protect you and other members of the public in the unlikely event of a nuclear emergency. If necessary, area officials would declare an emergency and take measures to ensure public safety. This site addresses procedures for the Clinton area. Please read and keep this material for future reference. Although it specifically addresses a potential nuclear incident, much of the information is useful in any major emergency.

Warning Sirens
Communities across the United States may use outdoor warning sirens for many purposes. Sirens are not exclusive to nuclear power facilities. Sirens may be used to warn the public of many hazards, including fires, flooding, and other events that warrant public notifications. If you hear a siren, you should tune to one of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) stations listed in this site for official information. The sirens generate a loud, continuous pitch for at least three minutes. In Illinois, sirens are tested on the first Tuesday of each month at 10:00 a.m. Click here to see the EAS Stations

Emergency Broadcasts
Authorities relay emergency information and instructions to the public over local radio and TV stations, including the radio stations listed in this site. In an emergency, these stations are your best source of accurate news.

Shelter-in-Place or Evacuation
Officials might recommend that people either take shelter indoors or evacuate an area. It is critically important that you follow the recommended course of action. Staying home when instructed to evacuate or driving around when urged to stay indoors could expose you to unnecessary danger.

Potassium Iodide (KI)

Potassium Iodide (KI) is a nonprescription drug that may prevent the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine. KI is one type of protective action that may be recommended during a nuclear incident. KI should only be taken at the direction of the appropriate state and local authorities. Consult your physician if you have concerns about the safety of KI for your child or yourself. KI is effective in blocking the absorption of radioactive iodine only. Since it does not block the absorption of any other radioactive material, evacuation or sheltering in place may be the most effective and preferred protective actions. Information on the Illinois KI distribution program can be found at www.illinois.gov/ready.


Classification of Accidents


There are four accident classifications used to describe nuclear emergencies. We contact federal, state and local authorities in each of the following situations:
Unusual Event — Events are in progress or have occurred which indicate a potential degradation of the level of safety of the plant or indicate a security threat to facility protection. No releases of radioactive material requiring off-site response or monitoring are expected unless further degradation of safety system occurs.
Alert — Events are in progress or have occurred which involve an actual or potential substantial degradation of the level of safety of the plant or a security event that involves probable life-threatening risk to site personnel or damage to site equipment because of intentional malicious dedicated efforts of a hostile act. Any releases are expected to be limited to small fractions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Protective Action Guideline exposure levels.
Site Area Emergency — Events are in progress or have occurred which involve actual or likely major failures of plant functions needed for protection of the public or security events that result in intentional damage or malicious acts: (1) toward site personnel or equipment that could lead to the likely failure of or; (2) prevents effective access to equipment needed for the protection of the public. Any releases are not expected to result in exposure levels which exceed EPA Protective Action Guideline exposure levels beyond the site boundary.
General Emergency — Events are in progress or have occurred which involve actual or imminent substantial core degradation or melting with potential for loss of containment integrity or security events that result in an actual loss of physical control of the facility. Releases can be reasonably expected to exceed EPA Protective Action Guideline exposure levels off-site for more than the immediate site area.


What You Need to Know About Nuclear Power Plants and Radiation

How Do Nuclear Plants Work?

Power plants create electricity by running steam turbines, which are powered either by fossil fuels – coal, oil, natural gas – or by nuclear power. Nuclear technology produces energy by splitting uranium atoms in a process called fission. Fission generates heat that boils water for the steam that runs the turbines, which produce the electricity that we all use.

In a nuclear power plant, pea-sized uranium pellets are stacked inside long, thin fuel rods, which are grouped in "assemblies" inside a reactor "core". The core is encased in a very thick steel capsule, and the entire reactor is further protected by an airtight steel and concrete building called a "containment". This complex structure is designed to help ensure the safe utilization of nuclear power.

How Do We All Benefit from Nuclear Power?

Any fuel used to produce energy also produces waste. By-products of coal-burning include smoke, ashes and slag. Even with the latest technologies, it is impossible to prevent some of this waste from reaching the environment outside the power plant. Nuclear power generation, on the other hand, produces waste primarily in the form of spent fuel, which is not released into the environment. Besides helping to protect the environment, nuclear energy is also highly efficient, producing vastly more energy for its weight than coal or oil. We would have to burn more than 120 gallons of oil or up to a ton of coal to produce the same amount of energy as that found in a single pellet of uranium.

What Are the Real Risks of Nuclear Power?

Sometimes people are concerned a power plant reactor will "blow up", but this is virtually impossible. The uranium contains only 3 to 4 percent fissionable material, and the fuel is further diluted to slow down the fission process. This low concentration can generate enough heat to boil water — but not enough to explode. In short, there is no way for a power plant reactor to produce a nuclear explosion.

Some people also think they, or the environment, may be accidentally exposed to nuclear radiation by living or being near a nuclear power plant. Although radioactivity can be dangerous, keep in mind a power plant reactor is designed to contain radiation, protecting the rest of the plant and the surrounding community. To ensure the greatest safety, however, any incident at a power plant that presents the slightest potential for a leak will be addressed with the utmost care.

First, special teams would gather detailed radiation readings at the plant and throughout surrounding areas. Depending on a number of factors, including the amount of radiation released and weather conditions that would affect movement of the radioactive "plume", state officials will recommend a course of action. A significant incident might require people to stay indoors or to evacuate to temporary reception centers. In any event, you will be instructed in a safe course of action to protect yourself and your loved ones.

What Is Radiation?

Radiation is energy in the form of rays or particles. Some atoms – the ones we call radioactive – are unstable. As they go through a natural process called "decay" in which they change into a stable atom, they throw off rays or particles called radiation. Radiation is exactly the same, whether from nature, or medical or industrial activities.

Radiation is measured in millirems. On average, a person receives about 300 millirem of radiation annually from natural sources and another 300 millirem or so from X-rays and other medical procedures. It takes more than 35 times this much — over 20,000 millirem in a single day — to produce identifiable effects in the body. Federal regulations allow workers to receive up to 5,000 millirem of radiation in the course of a year's work.