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2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Christmas Light
’Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house
No electrons were flowing through even my mouse.
All devices were plugged by the chimney with care
With the hope that St. Nikola Tesla would share.
Kenneth J. Hofstetter, Beverly S. Ausmus+
Nuclear Technology | Volume 87 | Number 4 | December 1989 | Pages 837-844
Technical Paper | TMI-2: Decontamination and Waste Management / Nuclear Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT89-A27677
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Microbial contamination of the reactor and related systems at Three Mile Island Unit 2 caused concern because of the ability of microorganisms to facilitate corrosion and to degrade the underwater visibility. Microorganisms first had a direct impact on defueling and decontamination operations in mid-1985 when the visibility in the fuel pools became limited due to a large population of euglena. In early 1986, the defueling operators experienced a total loss of visibility in the reactor caused by higher order microorganisms in the water. While the development of control techniques was complicated by the radionuclides and the chemical constituents in the water, adequate biological control was accomplished using hydrogen peroxide as a biocide. No evidence of microbially induced corrosion was observed on any components removed from the reactor, the defueling tools, or the fuel storage canisters.