10 Critical Questions About Japan's Nuclear Crisis

What you need to understand about the situation as it unfolds
So how worried should we be about the unfolding disaster at Fukushima? Here are some key questions to ask in the hours and days to come.

1. What is the current state of damaged reactors at Fukushima Daiichi?
This has been a moving, and confusing, target and it's been hard to plot a trend line.
2. Is this more like Three Mile Island or Chernobyl?
While the question is unavoidable (and I've been asking it myself, having covered TMI), we still can't answer it yet.As Matthew Bunn of Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs pointed out: "This is the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, and in some respects worse than Three Mile Island (TMI)."
3. What do we know about possible "meltdowns"(fusiones) involving Fukushima's reactors?
At least "partial" meltdowns (which occurred at TMI) may have occurred in several reactors. The key issue is the degree to which crucial containment vessels housing the nuclear fuel cores remain intact.
4. What's happening with the water?
The nuclear cores need water to cool them down, and the tsunami swamped Fukushima and initially cut off electricity powering the cooling systems. Then various backups failed, which forced plant operators to pump sea water into the reactors to try to cool them down.
5. What do we know about current radiation levels inside the plant?
Japanese press conference in which a top official warned the situation was growing "very grave" and that there were new concerns about the release of radioactive materials that could pose human health risks. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed today that elevated radiation ("dose rates up to 400 millisieverts per hour")
6. What about radiation levels outside the plant?
Reliable measures of levels outside the plant have not been available and won't be for the foreseeable (previsible) future
7. Is enough being done to protect Japanese near Fukushima, and what about those who live farther away?
In order to reduce the amount of exposure by residents, the government increased evacuation area around Fukushima to 20 kilometers and asked those living up to 30 kilometers away to stay indoors to further protect them from radiation.
8. Which way is the wind blowing?
The wind direction, should there be a plume containing radioactive material, determines whether fallout will land on populated areas or in the sea.
9. Should we believe the official sources of information?
Frustration continues to grow in about the confusing, often contradictory, information emanating from the Japanese government and the company running Fukushima
10. How is the global media handling all of this?
Coverage by American news outlets has steadily improved, with more in-depth, informative updates replacing the limited, confusing weekend reports.
Si queréis leer más: http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/03/10-critical-questions-about-japans-nuclear-crisis/72529/