Chernoybal was coal fed and exploded ,I understand , which caused the release of radiation. Japans are not coal fed. More like 3 mile IS...which did have a partial melt down...but contained.
I understand 5 years til they could examine to see how far it had gone...most were shell shocked with the discovery how bad it actually was.
“I understand 5 years til they could examine to see how far it had gone [three mile island] ... most were shell shocked with the discovery how bad it actually was.”
That’s correct. But despite the severity of the core meltdown, the three mile island problem was contained by the containment vessel. That’s very likely the result in Japan.
The big remaining danger is that the earthquake compromised one or more of the containment vessels. As long as that doesn’t happen, the loss of power in Japan from the loss of these reactors will kill a whole lot more people than the multiple meltdowns will.