Fukushima set for epic cleanup

Nature : The cleanup process at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant could last for many decades, and some estimates suggest it may take as much as a century. The process can’t begin until the reactors are stabilized; radiation levels around the plant are beginning to fall, but there is still a danger of further release of radioactivity. Radioactive water in the buildings and trenches around the site will be a high priority of any cleanup effort. The reactor cores themselves are another concern. At Three Mile Island, it took three years for radiation levels in the core to fall sufficiently to allow access to the reactor. The boiling water reactor (BWR) design at Fukushima complicates matters further. The reactors are sealed with a solid stainless steel cap that must be removed by a heavy crane located above the reactor. Explosions at three of the reactors mean that the cranes have almost certainly been destroyed, and another way in will have to be found.