This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Gricar, B. G. Articles by Baratta, A. J. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Bridging the Information Gap at Three Mile Island: Radiation Monitoring by Citizens

Organizational Behavior Division, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802.

Anthony J. Baratta

Nuclear Engineering Department, The Pennsylvania State University

This paper describes a unique effort to provide citizens with information about radiation exposure and to rebuild public confidence in information supplied by government agencies. The Citizen Radiation Monitoring Program (CRMP) trained lay citizens to monitor, interpret, and publicize radiation levels in 12 communities surrounding Three Mile Island (TMI) during the purge of radioactive Krypton from the reactor a year after the accident. One outgrowth of the accident was an erosion in the community's confidence in information about risks associated with the clean-up. Traditional mechanisms for information exchange between government officials and the public had a deviation-amplifying effect on this information gap. The CRMP sought to reverse this effect by (1) involving the communities in the program's design and operation, (2) trusting local citizens to measure and publicize radiation levels, and (3) addressing emotional as well as technical issues associated with the purge. Several implications for disseminating public information are offered.

The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Vol. 19, No. 1, 35-49 (1983)
DOI: 10.1177/002188638301900104


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. A. Nohrstedt The information crisis in Sweden after Chernobyl Media Culture Society, October 1, 1991; 13(4): 477 - 497.

				B. Gray and D. J. Wood Collaborative Alliances: Moving from Practice to Theory Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, March 1, 1991; 27(1): 3 - 22. [Abstract] [PDF]