Article: Weapon-Grade Plutonium and Uranium, Tracking

Weapon-Grade Plutonium and Uranium, Tracking

K. LEE LERNER/

LARRY GILMAN

Weapon-grade (or "bomb-grade") uranium or plutonium is any alloy or oxide compound that contains enough of certain isotopes of these elements to serve as the active ingredient in a nuclear weapon. Some civilian weapon-grade materials are tracked by international organizations, especially the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM), to prevent their diversion to bombs. The goal is to prevent nuclear proliferation, that is, the possession of nuclear weapons by more and more groups.

IAEA safeguards track weapon-grade materials (or, in ...

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