workers around the two units that seem to be smoking but they haven t exactly given up on cooling down reactors at this time. they still got the fire trucks up there pumping water over those troubled reactors. the main worry at the moment, of course, is that number 3 reactor in which temperatures have been fluctuating wildly there over the last 48 hours. the worry is because it s partly fueled by plutonium and experts say it could cause longer health problems if there is an event such as a meltdown. u.s. regulators say although reactors of units 1, 2 and 3 has seen damage to their cores, their containment structures are holding at this time. meanwhile, the official death toll from the quake and tsunami is about 9,000 with another 12,000 missing. amongst the dead, it s been confirmed was a 24-year-old english teacher from virginia. taylor anderson is believed to have been the first known american victim of the disaster here. and since families said in a
definitely a sense of unease, i guess is the best way to put it. you hate to say widespread panic but it really has kind of kicked up a notch. we ve seen people going to grocery stores, long lines outside, people stocking up on food, people stocking up on water. really whatever s left of fuel because they know that if they are anywhere near this plant, they may have to stay indoors. if they have to do that for a while, they know supplies are running short. thank you so much to abc s akiko fujita, who s been with us since the beginning. thank you so much. the nuclear crisis is raising safety questions about nuclear plants in japan and also here in the u.s. abc s martha raddatz went looking for answers. reporter: we wanted to know what is the worst case scenario in japan. the reactor cores in several reactors get so hot, they fuse into a molten mass that bursts through the containment structures, spewing radioactivity into the water, air and ground.
would be maintaining constant and not decaying as it is or reports show that pressure is dropping. in terms of that word containment, it is a word we use commonly not as jargon, it is meant to be several types of structure. containment could be the outside building that surrounds the reactor as a whole. that was what we saw the explosion do so much damage to in the first two explosions, but containment also refers to the smaller containment around the core itself, around the reactor itself? that s correct. these type of plants use defense and depth. there s two containment structures. there s the outer containment structure that was damaged by the explosions. that structure had completely surrounded the other containment structure, like containment within containment. the inner is primary containment, four to five feet thick concrete with inner steel liner two inches thick of steel
open, but if the containment were intact, the pressure inside would be maintaining constant and not decaying as it is or reports show that pressure is dropping. in terms of that word containment, it is a word we use commonly not as jargon, it is meant to be several types of structure. containment could be the outside building that surrounds the reactor as a whole. that was what we saw the explosion do so much damage to in the first two explosions, but containment also refers to the smaller containment around the core itself, around the reactor itself? that s correct. these type of plants use defense and depth. there s two containment structures. there s the outer containment structure that was damaged by the explosions.
out someplace, perhaps through a breach, a crack, a valve left open, but if the containment were intact, the pressure inside would be maintaining constant and not decaying as it is or reports show that pressure is dropping. in terms of that word containment, it is a word we use commonly not as jargon, it is meant to be several types of structure. containment could be the outside building that surrounds the reactor as a whole. that was what we saw the explosion do so much damage to in the first two explosions, but containment also refers to the smaller containment around the core itself, around the reactor itself? that s correct. these type of plants use defense and depth. there s two containment structures. there s the outer containment structure that was damaged by the explosions. that structure had completely surrounded the other containment