The 1979 Three Mile Island accident was a pivotal event that led to questions about U.S. nuclear safety . Earlier events had a similar effect , including a 1975 fire at Browns Ferry and the 1976 testimonials of three concerned GE nuclear engineers , the GE Three . In 1981 , workers inadvertently reversed pipe restraints at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant reactors , compromising seismic protection systems , which further undermined confidence in nuclear safety . All of these well-publicised events , undermined public support for the U.S. nuclear industry in the 1970s and the 1980s . In 2002 , the USA had what former NRC Commissioner Victor Gilinsky termed " its closest brush with disaster " since Three Mile Island 's 1979 meltdown ; a workman at the Davis-Besse reactor found a large rust hole in the top of the reactor pressure vessel
Three Mile Island accident
Three Mile Island accident
Nuclear safety in the United States