Final answer:
It is false that pregnant women and preschool-age children were mandated to evacuate the Three Mile Island area; while an evacuation zone was set up, no specific mandatory evacuation was issued for these groups, and no significant radioactivity was released.
Step-by-step explanation:
The claim that pregnant women and preschool-age children were mandated to evacuate the Three Mile Island area after the reactor leaked radiation is false. While the accident at Three Mile Island in March 1979 did result in the core of Unit 2 reactor overheating after the failure of the cooling system, causing part of the core to melt and hydrogen gas to be produced, the containment system prevented significant radioactivity from being released. An evacuation zone was established around the plant, but this was a precaution following the release of radioactive gases. There was a public scare and over 100,000 residents fled the area, but no mandatory evacuation for pregnant women and preschool-age children specifically was issued. The damage to the reactor core and the scare it caused led to widespread public concern about nuclear power, although the actual radiation release was minimal.