Thorium Fuel Has Proliferation Risk

Capt.Albatross writes "Thorium has attracted interest as a potentially safer fuel for nuclear power generation. In part, this has been because of the absence of a route to nuclear weapons, but a group of British scientists have identified a path that leads to uranium-233 via protactinium-233 from irradiated thorium. The protactinium separation could possibly be done with standard lab equipment, which would allow it to be done covertly, and deliver the minimum of U233 required for a weapon in less than a year. The full article is in Nature, but paywalled."

Comments

Paywalled?

[Anonymous Coward]

"The full article is in Nature, but paywalled."

Well, then there is no risk of proliferation.

Re:Paywalled?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's fortunate the open access activists haven't succeeded yet. Let thank these publishers that protect national security by erecting a paywall between taxpayer funded research and the public.

Sanctions

[jbeaupre]

If the UK gets the U-233 bomb, next thing you know they will be threatening their rich, oil producing neighbor Norway. Norway will restart heavy water production for their nuclear program. France will increase their stockpiles (and make more nuclear weapons). The Germans will opt for chemical weapons. Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg will offer Russia and the US military bases.

And god forbid if the Irish get ahold of a nuke covertly from the British! They'll turn Iceland into a burnt wasteland.

Time to freeze British financial transactions until they give up their nuclear research. Time to end the menace before it all gets out of control.

Carpet Bomb Great Britain?

[Anonymous Coward]

That's where the scientists are from..

Although I do get a tingle of schadenfreude at the thought, in the end the Limey Hordes are more like us than they are different from us. We should let them live in peace with their mossy, malformed teeth and nausea-inducing beer. They're mostly harmless.

Re:Carpet Bomb Great Britain?

[Anonymous Coward]

If you beer isn't nausea-inducing you're not drinking enough... or it's just flavoured water.

Guessing you're American it's probably the latter.

And how very dare you call us mostly harmless!!? Where's my pen...

Re:So...much ado about not much

[i kan reed]

I'm not sure how a lead box would be easy to detect. To get bomb level amounts would only take the space of a undergarments drawer.

Disclaimer: do not keep fissile materials in your undergarments drawer.

Re:proliferation

[Anonymous Coward]

I say we nuke Earth from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

Re:So...much ado about not much

[RandomFactor]

Disclaimer: do not keep fissile materials in your undergarments drawer.

Don't you think you should have mentioned that FIRST?

Re:stone age

[djsmiley]

And Canada/Mexico doesn't want any of them.