Dr. Sherrie Flaherty, MDH - MN Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program

Dr. Sherrie Flaherty

Minnesota has two nuclear powered reactors located at Monticello and Prairie Island.  The Prairie Island reactor is a pressurized water reactor and the Monticello reactor is a boiling water reactor.   The reactors each have triple containment to reduce the possibility of radioactive release to the environment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressurized_water_reactor

  

Prairie Island Power Plant - http://www.mprnews.org/story/2013/03/27/environment/prairie-island-nuclear-plant-getting-additional-inspections

Boiling Water Reactor:  http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/students/animated-bwr.html

Monticello Power Plant - http://www.mprnews.org/story/2007/01/17/monticelloshut

Resources:

2011 Emergency Preparedness guide for the Monticello Power plant - Xcel Energy
2013 Emergency Preparedness guide for the Prairie Island Power plant - Xcel Energy

Acronyms:

• REP - Radiation Emergency Preparedness
• EAL - Emergency Action Level
• ECL - Emergency Classification Level
• EPZ - Emergency Planning Zones - 10 mile radius from plant
• GE   - General Emergency
• IPZ  - Ingestion Planning Zone - 50 mile radius from plant
• NUE - Notice of Unusual Event
• PAR - Protective Action Relocation
• KI -    Potassium Iodide
• SAE - Site Area Emergency

Three types of fission byproducts are produced with different half lives

Cesium 134 half life of 2 years
Cesium 137 half life approx. 30 years.
Iodine 131  half life 8 days.

After a confirmed release of radioactive material, individuals within 10 miles of a reactor or are down wind of a nuclear release need to pick up potassium iodide at Target Pharmacy.

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New Turbine at Prairie Island Plant 2013