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MOX: THE LATEST NUCLEAR THREAT
By Bill Morris
(This article is from the October 1-15/2000 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.)
AN INTERNATIONAL COALITION of environmental, anti-nuclear and peace organizations held actions on Sept. 28 as part of their International Day to Nix MOX. But Canada is heading in the opposite direction, embracing the use of mixed oxide plutonium (MOX) in its reactors.
Even the most cynical among us can still be shocked by our government's cavalier attitude to the safety and health of Canadians. Since they took office, the Chretien Liberals have vigorously pursued plans to test plutonium from Russian warheads as fuel for CANDU reactors, starting at the Chalk River nuclear facility. On Sept. 21, after an appallingly short "public consultation" heavily favouring the nuclear industry, the government announced approval of the shipment.
That means a plane carrying the plutonium could soon arrive from Russia, landing in either CFB Trenton, Ontario, or CFB Bagotville, Quebec. From there, the plutonium would helicoptered to Chalk River, despite complaints in the courts by unions, citizens organizations and First Nations bands.
Communist Party environment committee member Mick Panesar was outraged at the news. "We have dozens of people's organizations opposing the plan. There is also a large body of scientific evidence showing that immobilization of the plutonium is the only safe method of dealing with the material. But what does our government do - fly it over some of the most populated areas of the country. This shows a complete disregard for the public."
The feds argue that their decision is a step towards world peace. Recently the US and Russia announced that they would declare roughly 50 metric tons of plutonium as surplus to military needs. Many see this as a step towards disarmament, and support the stated goal of ensuring that this plutonium is not diverted, stolen, or reused in weapons, but disagree with the proposed plan to deal with the weapons grade plutonium.
The plan is that the US and Russian governments will convert most of their plutonium into mixed oxide plutonium fuel for use in commercial nuclear power reactors (mainly light water reactors), in their own countries and possibly Canada. Russia also plans to use this MOX in their plutonium breeder reactors, which could produce more plutonium than is used (though the program pledges not to operate the reactors so as to produce more plutonium).
In 1999, raising serious questions about this plan, more than 239 organizations signed a statement opposing the use of MOX fuel and declared Sept. 28 as International NIX MOX day. Their main concerns are:
a) the plan does not really address the proliferation threat, since while the MOX is being transported or stored, the fresh MOX fuel can be separated and used for weapons purposes;
b) it will eventually encourage the reprocessing of plutonium-bearing spent fuel, generating vast amounts of liquid radioactive waste and increasing stockpiles of separated plutonium, both in the US and Russia;
c) many technical and safety questions are left unanswered, as weapons-grade plutonium has never been used as a fuel in commercial reactors;
d) it will probably take longer and cost more to dispose of plutonium using MOX than the current alternative, immobilization.
e) plutonium incorporated into high-level radioactive waste could re-enter the environment; and finally,
f) by blurring the distinction between civil and military nuclear activities, the program may undermine nonproliferation efforts.
As the "Statement by World Nongovernmental Organizations Opposing the Use of Plutonium (MOX) Fuel" states: "We pledge to expand a united international movement that will challenge every effort to develop, encourage, or use MOX fuel as a means of plutonium disposition, will work toward the goal of having all plutonium declared surplus, and vow to continue our efforts to ensure the isolation of plutonium from the environment."
For more information contact the Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout, e-mail cnp@web.net, web site: www.cnp.ca
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