Handling, Storage, and Disposition of Plutonium and Uranium

Abstract

The need to address topics of handling, storage, and disposal of plutonium and uranium is driven by concern about hazards posed by the element and by the worldwide quantity of civilian and military materials. The projected inventory of separated civilian plutonium for use in fabricating mixed-oxide (MOX) reactor fuel during initial decades of this century is constant at about 120 metric tons and a comparable amount of excess military plutonium is anticipated from reductions in nuclear weapon stockpiles (IAEA Report, 1998). Although inventories of civilian material are in oxide form, Pu from weapons programs exists primarily as metal. Plutonium is a radiological toxin (Voelz, 2000); its management in a safe and secure manner is essential for protecting workers, the public, and the environment.