#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Danger of MOX Fuel

from BBC Live report of the Japan earthquake, citing Mr. Masashi Goto, former Toshiba engineer who designed the containment vessel of the Reactor No.3 at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant:

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1431: More from Japanese nuclear engineer Masashi Goto: He say that as the reactor uses mox (mixed oxide) fuel, the melting point is lower than that of conventional fuel. Should a meltdown and an explosion occur, he says, plutonium could be spread over an area up to twice as far as estimated for a conventional nuclear fuel explosion. The next 24 hours are critical, he says.

426: Mr Goto says his greatest fear is that blasts at number 3 and number 1 reactors may have damaged the steel casing of the containment vessel designed to stop radioactive material escaping into the atmosphere. More to follow.

1422: Japanese engineer Masashi Goto, who helped design the containment vessel for Fukushima's reactor core, says the design was not enough to withstand earthquakes or tsunamis and the plant's builders, Toshiba, knew this. More on Mr Goto's remarks to follow.

1415: Prof Richard Wakeford adds: "The other thing authorities [in Japan] will be considering is the issuing of stable iodine tablets to block the intake of radioactive iodine which accumulates in the thyroid, and which is particularly problematic if it happens in young children."

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