10nfl1-Nukes-Cover
Disarmament creates nuclear waste
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| Disarmament creates nuclear waste NUCLEAR BOMBS CONTAIN MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF PLUTONIUM- SEPARATED PLUTONIUM IS EXTREMELY INSECURE. Michael A. Levi, David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment and Director of the Program on Energy Security and Climate Change, Deterring State Sponsorship of Nuclear Terrorism published by the Council on Foreign Relations 2008, pg. 2-3 Civilian plutonium stockpiles also pose a risk for use in nuclear weapons. Although some experts continue to doubt the feasibility of employing reactor-grade plutonium in nuclear bombs, scientific authorities such as the US. Department of Energy and the US. National Academy of Sciences have stated that this material is weapons-usable. More than a dozen countries hold more than 230 metric tons of plutonium that have been separated from spent nuclear fuel. In this separated form, plutonium is less secure than plutonium embedded in spent fuel. Because spent nuclear fuel tends to be highly radioactive, it provides a protective barrier to acquisition by terrorists or criminals who do not have access to special handling gear. Globally, more than thirteen hundred metric tons of plutonium are contained in spent nuclear fuel. The rate of reprocessing this spent fuel to separate plutonium exceeds the rate of consumption of the plutonium as reactor fuel. Based on the latest unofficial estimate, the global stockpile of civilian plutonium in separated form is growing at the rate often metric tons per year. This translates into hundreds of terrorist- or state-constructed nuclear bombs per year. Download 1.23 Mb. Share with your friends:
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