Fukushima Storage Pools Nearing Boiling Point

High temperatures in a pool storing spent uranium fuel rods are believed to have caused the steam seen venting from the nuclear plant Monday.

After days of moving the Fukushima plant closer to stabilization, operators faced a setback Tuesday with the news that temperatures in the No. 2 unit’s storage pool are dangerously high. Since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out power to the facility, experts have warned that the storage pools pose one of the major risks for a nuclear disaster. The fuel rods contained within are spent but still radioactive, and are stored on-site because of the difficulty disposing of nuclear waste. Technicians at Fukushima have been in a constant race to keep water levels in the pools high enough to submerge the uranium inside; if the water boils off, radiation will be thrown into the atmosphere.