Nuclear Risk Expert: Fukushima Fuel May Be Leaking

An anonymous reader writes "Three weeks after the nuclear crisis began at Japan's Fukushima Dai-1 power plant, there's still a real danger of melted nuclear fuel escaping the reactor buildings and releasing a large dose of radiation. So says Theo Theofanous, an engineer who spent 15 years studying the risks of nuclear reactors. Theofanous believes that melted nuclear fuel has already leaked through the reactor vessels and accumulated at the bottoms of the primary containment structures. All attempts to keep the reactor buildings cool may not be enough to prevent the overheated fuel from eating through the concrete floors, he says."

Comments

Re:Seal it and shut it down...

[thegarbz]

There are, but they only prevent exposure of alpha and beta particles. Caesium-137 which is the most dangerous emitter currently causing the problems is a gamma emitter against which you can't protect yourself. Fortunately it's no where near as prevalent in the area as other radioactive materials such as iodine (a beta emitter against which the plastic suits work splendidly).