Reply #19: Poisioning

[divvy]

I can't see why plutonium in the fuel would necessarily be any worse than Uranium... most of the air release is the products of the nuclear decay, like iodine, Cesium, strontium, etc. If the actual fuel is spread, then it is a catastrophe either way. If the worst case outcome is the core melts down to the water table, then plutonium is more poisonous than Uranium. Both fuels would be catastrophic. I don't think poisoning is the greatest threat here

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There is Plutonium (Pu-239) even in a normal U-235 fueled reactor. Remember the fuel is only 3-4% enriched; the majority is U-238. It undergoes a straightforward reaction: U-238 (n,p) Pu-239. (That's how a breeder works.)