Question

What is plutonium reprocessing? Why is it a big environmental issue?

Answer 1

Reprocessing means processing again or using a different method inorder to reuse the material.

Plutonium reprocessing means processing of plutonium waste from uranium nuclear plants to use it again in nuclear plants or in other applications, such as nuclear bombs.

Plutonium reprocessing is done only in some countries like Russia, France, Britain and other countries that have nuclear power plants has to send their nuclear waste to the plutonium processing centers via different means of transport. This transport of nuclear waste is very risky and is a major environmental concern of exposing the nucelar waste to the normal population. The storage of nuclear of waste for long duration itself is a very inherent risky process to reduce the radioactivity, which requires well designed storage systems.

Transport of Plutonium involves movement from one coast to another making more vulnerable for contamination of water bodies of different countries making global environmental threat.