Plutonium threat at Japan reactor, expert warns - CNET

[flamingdem]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-20042852-76.html

- snip -
Unit 3's reactor housing was destroyed earlier Monday in a hydrogen-fueled blast similar but larger to the one that destroyed unit 1's housing Saturday. Eleven people were injured. The blast also hindered efforts to pump sea water into unit 2 to cool it down, Goto said.

Masashi Goto says MOX fuel is more toxic than uranium.
(Credit: Brian Chapman)

"According to announcements, there appears to be no major damage to the containment vessel" of reactor No. 3, Goto said at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan. "In other words, it is able to fulfill its function."

But it's still unknown whether the outside of the containment vessel had been damaged in the blast, he added.

The fuel rods of unit 2's reactor were fully exposed despite attempts to pump water into the chamber, according to Japanese media reports today. Goto, however, stressed that nobody can see inside the chamber to confirm the water level.

When asked why the explosion at the No. 3 reactor seemed much more violent than Saturday's explosion at the No. 1 reactor building, Goto said he suspected that more hydrogen had accumulated in the building before exploding.

He emphasized the three most critical factors for the time being: a steady supply of electrical power to the plant, supply of water to cool the reactors, and the supply of fuel to the water pumps. He added that fuel for the current makeshift pump system had been running low even before the latest blast.

The two most dangerous situations to monitor are the state of the reactor cores and the containment vessels.

When asked about the worst-case scenario, Goto said he would "rather not think about that." He also said there are too many factors to figure to make a solid conclusion on what will happen.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-20042852-76.html#ixzz1GZUjGLVZ

[FourScore]

1. Dupe.