The nuclear reactor in Taishan in Guangdong, China, has been stated to be an imminent radiological threat to the world. This warning was sent to the US by the Chinese government. How serious the threat is, is still debatable.
Framatome parent firm EDF who are the owners of the power plant made the issue of the problem clear by pinpointing the exact cause of the problem. The problem seems to be in one or more of the fuel rods. A potential hole in the fuel rods may be the source of the problem as it has been estimated. EDF said there had been an “increase in the concentration of certain noble gases in the primary circuit.”
If you are unaware of what the primary circuit is, the primary circuit can be explained as the part of the plant that is responsible for transferring of the heat from the reactor to water. This in turn generates steam and produces electricity. The noble gases include krypton and xenon.
There is a confirmed report of a radiation leak at the power plant but it is mainly in the primary circuit and that place is inside multiple layers of containment. No radioactive energy or leak has been detected outside of the plant. “If the inert gases are in the primary coolant then it is unlikely that any radioactivity will be released outside of the reactor,” says Claire Corkhill of the University of Sheffield, UK.
People are not in danger so there is no need to panic. “This situation in principle does not pose any immediate danger,” says Mycle Schneider who is a nuclear analyst situated in Paris. The situation obviously needs to be monitored and the necessary steps need to be taken but there is no danger yet.
