RE: So, is reprocessing in America's future?

[Paul William Shafer <paulwilliam_s@YAHOO.COM>]

Exactement!  Well put.

--- Bernard L Cohen <blc+@PITT.EDU> wrote:

> 

> On Mon, 2 Jul 2001, Bauman, Rodney L. (84U)  wrote:

> 

> > 

> > > I hope everyone on RadSafe knows that

> "weapons-grade" plutonium is very 

> > > different from the plutonium produced in a

> commercial reactor. The 

> > > difference is in the amount of Pu-240.

> > > 

> > [Bauman, Rodney]   I've heard this over and over

> again and understand the

> > physics behind the Pu-239/Pu-240 weapons-grade vs.

> reactor-grade plutonium

> > argument.  But if in fact, commercial reactor

> spent fuel plutonium is not

> > suitable for weapons production, then why all the

> hoopla?  Why did Jimmy

> > Carter renounce (by Executive Order) the

> reprocessing of spent commercial

> > reactor fuel?  I've always been told that it was

> due to nuclear

> > proliferation concerns - due to the production of

> plutonium.  But, everybody

> > who knows plutonium says that reactor-grade

> plutonium is useless for

> > weapons.  Something stinks.

> 

> 	--Reactor grade Pu can be used to make a poor

> quality bomb --low

> and unpredictable yield. But no such bomb has been

> produced for military

> purposes as far as I know. 

> 	But much more important is the fact that people who

> worry about

> proliferation should be very much more worried about

> situations arising

> from the break-up of the Soviet Union, making

> available quantities of bomb

> grade material and knowledgeable scientists

> desparate for money to sustain

> their families. These people should be concentrating

> all of their efforts

> on that problem rather than worrying about U.S.

> reprocessing.

> 

>

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