The Diane Rheems show was most informative. The workers have done every procedure to minimize radiaton at a cost of about 3 billion dollars so far. The plutonium fuel is a 5% mix and not meant for these Mark 1 reactors which means they will melt at a lower temperature and be more toxic if a core breech should occur. France uses a 30% plutonium mix in a more advanced reactor. 18 workers have been hurt by blast or exposure. It seems that the chimney is not working so gas built up inside the building.

One could compare it to a 40 year old submarine that is below its design depth. As long as the containment "hull" holds up, the ship will survive.