China syndrome
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
China syndrome
▶noun a hypothetical sequence of events following the meltdown of a nuclear reactor, in which the core melts through its containment structure and sinks deep into the earth.
– origin 1970s: so named because China is on the opposite side of the earth from a reactor in the US.
'China syndrome' also found in these Oxford entries:
