THE media is focusing on the wrong area at the Japanese nuclear power plants damaged in the earthquake.

They are focusing on the reactor core containment and possible breaches whereas the greatest danger at present, greater even that the well shielded cores is in the far more highly radioactive spent fuel rods in the cooling ponds.

It is these rods recently removed from the cores that contain the highest levels of radioactivity and radiological metallic mix. And yet, as in keeping with all reactors, they are not stored in pressurised containers but at the bottom of open ponds covered with tons of dense deep cooling water circulated to keep them from spontaneously re-starting the nuclear heating cycle without damping control rods to control them. If the water evaporates or cannot be replaced due to damaged pond liners the rods will melt, burst into flames and release a toxic mix into the surrounding air where it can be windborne for thousands of miles.

The radioactive levels in the immediate area around the ponds would be sufficient to cause death in a few hours or days and would cause a shut down of air space around the storage pond. They would then be left to burn themselves out since no one would volunteer to be a death pilot to try and drop any materials into the burning mix.

This is currently the greatest and most likely danger existing at these reactors.

DOUGLAS MILLS (Retired engineer), Fraser Road, Poole