The Three Mile Island accident was the most significant accident in the history of the American commercial nuclear power generating industry. It resulted in the release of a significant amount of radioactivity, an estimated 43,000 curies of radioactive krypton [1] (1.59 PBq), but under 20 curies (740 GBq) of the particularly hazardous iodine-131, to the environment.[2]
So yes, there was a tiny release of noble gases, but it was in no way a health hazard. Flying from Harrisburg to the other side of the country would have given you a larger radiation dosage than if you had stayed put, even if the plant was your closest neighbour.
It reminds me of when we got the fallout from Chernobyl and the media was in a frenzy over the fact that radiation levels were double the usual in the affected areas. They didn't mention that levels were three times the normal background in our second largest city and along our western coast because of the composition of the bedrock. Or that we had gotten far more fallout during the 60's because of Soviet nuclear testing in the Arctic than we got from Chernobyl. Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
