ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the most frequently mentioned alternatives for dealing with surplus weapon-grade plutonium and its most troubling problem: a level of radioactivity that is too low to deter committed terrorist or subnational groups from reusing it in weapons. In addition, any plutonium disposition method must be socially responsible, guarding the health and safety of workers and local residents alike. Leaving surplus plutonium in the metallic form it had in warheads causes proliferation concerns because of the ease with which plutonium metal can be converted back into military-usable shapes. Vitrification, mixing plutonium with melted glass, is one of the most heavily researched and one of the most technologically and economically certain disposition methods. A 1996 study of nuclear waste vitrification costs by the National Research Council shows how important economies of scale are in the determination of canister production costs.
