What Happens When a Nuclear Power Plant Has a Meltdown?
Overheating the Fuel A true “meltdown” is the overheating of radioactive fuel, which results in its melting. The colloquial term “meltdown” refers to a catastrophic event that releases radioactive material into the surrounding environment. Failure of Containment After the fuel has begun to melt, containment procedures are implemented to prevent radioactive material from leaking into the environment. Containment includes hydrogen recombiners (to create water to cool the material), charcoal and other filter media (to capture particulate matter), and a cooling system that uses water to cool the material. If these and other containment systems fail, a leak may occur. Release to the Environment Radioactive particulate matter (either in steam, smoke or through other means) is dispersed into the atmosphere and drifts with the air currents for a certain distance, depending on wind conditions, size of leak and terrain. The radioactive material settles onto the ground and can cause immediate ill
