Disarmament and disposal of fissile material

Abstract

The disarmament agreements between the USA and Russia have resulted in huge quantities of fissile materials, plutonium and highly enriched uranium, becoming redundant. These materials are extremely attractive to terrorist organisations and rogue states who would like to add nuclear weapons to their armouries. Unfortunately, while the USA has done a great deal to assist Russia to protect its nuclear materials, European countries, including the UK, have not risen to the challenge of events. If chaos is to be avoided then Europe must provide Russia with far more assistance to help it deal with its nuclear inheritance. The problem highlights the importance of the activities of those who devote their lives to investigations of the best means of disposing of nuclear waste. The MOX route for disposing of plutonium is gaining support but it is still vitally important to have an alternative route available such as vitrifying a mixture of plutonium and fission products and burying it in a deep repository.