Mysterious Smoke Rising From Fukushima Reactors

Operators say they don’t know what’s causing the smoke emanating from the stricken plant.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. evacuated the Fukushima nuclear power plant Monday after unexplained smoke began rising from its No. 2 and 3 reactors. It’s thought that the smoke could be coming from a fuel storage pool that holds dozens of spent uranium rods. The plant's storage pools were depleted after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and analysts say the exposure of the large cache of uranium rods contained inside represents one of the gravest dangers of Japan’s ongoing nuclear crisis. Milk produced near Fukushima was found to have radiation levels 27 times higher than considered safe, and Japan’s nuclear safety agency criticized the plant’s operators for missing several safety inspections in the run-up to the disaster.