I've just been checking the websites of our resource groups and was absolutely fascinated by this Fairwinds Associates video linked by NEARS on what most likely happened during the Unit 3 explosion at the Fukushima-1 nuclear complex (video loads slowly!): click here for video!

As you may recall, the explosion at Unit 3 was much more violent (Donuel certainly remarked on that) than the one at Unit 1. Evidently pieces of fuel rods have been found two miles away from the reactor. The reactor itself appears to be still intact. Therefore it seems likely that the explosion took place in the spent fuel pool. There was a huge inventory of spent fuel rods in that pool, and even some of the heaviest nuclear isotopes were volatilized and dispersed around the globe, being detected as far away as the East Coast of the United States. If this explanation of what happened is correct, this is very bad news, indeed.

The Unit-4 fuel pool still seems to be intact, which is good news. The fuel rods may be damaged there but they still can be seen in their racks.

I've only viewed the video once and on my computer it starts and stops a lot. So I may have missed past of the report.

I'm familiar with Fairwinds Associates as an organization that has provided important testimony on the Vermont Yankee license extension hearings. Arnold Gundersen is a well respected nuclear engineer who turned whistle-blower years ago. What he is suggesting does seem to make sense of the two explosions, and the damage that can be observed of the reactor units themselves.

Any other thoughts?

Charley Noble