Page 5 - Steam Explosion News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

There's some suggestion now, jim, that these reactors in japan, they're in level six. somewhere between three mile island and chernobyl. is that what you're hearing as well? >> i have heard that. i heard a french engineer offer that had assessment. in some ways you can unction it. in chernobyl you had the outright release of large amounts of radio activity because there was no containment vessel. and you had a steam explosion and a fire that carried that directly into the environment. that has not happened yet. we are not at that point. we seem to a be a little worse. this is shocking for peop...

Headline out of japan is there are no threats or leaks to the nuclear plant. there are no images -- >> the earthquake didn't cause it, the tsunami caused them later. when the tsunami came an hour later, that's when we started getting information. >> even in the wake of the tsunami, they were saying there were no reports of leakage. >> even in the threat of the tsunami for eight hours the backup pumping systems cooling systems ran off batteries and eventually the batteries ran out and the tsunami overwhelmed the main backup system that ran off diesel engines and trying to pump sea water. >> it ...

Liquid and melts and goes down in the reactor. when it hits water we have a steam explosion and in the worst case there will be a rupture of the reactor vessel and release of radioactivity into the environment. depending on which extent the rods are exposed, the size of the explosion and the leaks we can assess the consequences. >> they are watching to see where the winds are in the area so they know if there is any radiation into the atmosphere, where it is going and the like. i want to ask you about the idea of a nuclear renaissance. countries are moving quickly, china among them, where they...

Leakage. the navy has repositioned u.s. ships away from that site after discovering low levels of radiation on 17 helicopter crew members, all have been treated and declared contamination free. we're breaking out our coverage into a couple of conversation. more on the search-and-rescue efforts but first i want to focus on another threat which is the nuclear one. joining us now two experts in nuclear matters, david albright, a former nuclear inspector with the institute for science and international security. also with us from washington, robert alvarez. he advises secretary of energy who is in...

The reactor will go down from the fission products and the ability to cool that core will improve with time. >> we were talking offset, you have a concern that we're not getting all the information from the tokyo electric power company and the government. you understand you think they're trying to balance the concern for creating a panic, but at the same time you're concerned we're not getting all the information. >> no, that's right. we should be hearing reports on what are the radiation levels. >> we have not. >> that's right. these reactors are operating a little bit like boiling water in a...