Page 9 - Fuel Pool News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Perhaps most worrisome are the spent fuel rods in number 4. a top u.s. official warned that the rods are now exposed. a claim that japanese officials later denied. >> in addition to the three reactors operating at the time of the incident a fourth reactor is under concern. we believele there's been a hydrogen explosion in this unit due to an uncovering of the fuel in the fuel pool. we believe that secondary containment has been destroyed. there is no water in the spent fuel pool and we believe that radiation levels are extremely high. >> that does not sound good at all. the japanese government...

Bad is that? >> reporter: oh, it's very bad. when you have fuel rods exposed even spent fuel rods which is basically fuel rods that have been used to make energy and they are put in the pool, when they are exposed, they can melt down and then release the radioactive particles inside. that's what they are trying to avoid. the news from the head of the nrc that the spent fuel pool in reactor number 4 has no water is very, very bad news. now today the japanese government was going to try to send in military helicopters to dump water over some of the -- over some of the spent fuel pools. they trie...

The failing reactor's cooling systems. despite that news, concerns remain over dangerous radiation levels, spent fuel rods, and unexplained white smoke seen spewing from the damaged reactors today. the water level in unit five is also on the decline. officials plan to use an operational dieselenerator in unit six to get water to the unit. then, there was this alarming testimony today by u.s. nuclear regulatory commission chief regarding unit 4's condition. >> a fourth reactor is also right now under concern. this reactor was shut down at the time of the earthquake. what we believe at this time...

Integrity of the structure they are in could also be compromised because of the quake and the tsunami, what are we talking about in terms of the increase in the auradio activity in that area? >> the problem in unit four could be worse than in unit two. there's no containment along the fuel pool. it's just open to a steel structure that is prone to leak. so a fuel pool that drains will catch fire. the clad will begin to burn and that will liberate the radiation in those nuclear fuel rods. in essence it's probably worse than the problem occurring at unit two because there's at least part of the ...