As Japan races to prevent a nuclear catastrophe, Josh Dzieza
asks MIT's Ron Ballinger and Columbia’s David Brenner about
partial and full meltdowns, hydrogen blasts, and windblown
radiation. Plus, full coverage of Japan’s crisis. Japan is on
the brink of a nuclear disaster in the wake of its devastating
earthquake and tsunami, with a third explosion at the Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear power station damaging the steel containment
structure of one reactor, and a fire at another spewing
radioactive material into the air. Before the latest explosion
and fire, as workers raced to stay ahead of a full meltdown, The
Daily Beast spoke with Ron Ballinger, professor of nuclear
science and engineering at MIT, and David Brenner, director of
the Columbia University Center for Radiological Research, about
the difference between partial and full meltdowns, hydrogen
blasts, and windblown radiation. Gallery: History’s Worst
Nuclear Disasters What’s the difference between a “partial” and
“full” meltdown? Brenner: Both phrases are