The big flap in Japan right now is that plutonium is leaking from one of the reactors. This is particularly important because plutonium is highly toxic, and probably the worst of all possible radioactive contaminants.

Now some plutonium is formed (by neutron bombardment of uranium in the fuel elements) in all reactors, so the release of some of this material into the environment is to be expected in this type of accident. But I keep hearing snippets in the press about the no 3 reactor using MOX fuel (whatever that is) which is at least partly plutonium, and that is why they are so concerned about a spill from there, the amount of plutonium could be considerable.

More disturbing to me is the use of plutonium at all. This is weapons grade material, and considered contraband in the USA (remember Jimmy Carter's crusade against plutonium because of the fears its trade would lead to terrorism or nuclear proliferation?). Since Plutonium is a different chemical element than Uranium, it can be chemically separated from spent fuels much more easily than the fissionable uranium isotope can be refined from regular uranium. No expensive centrifuges or mass spectrometers need be used. And of course it is the most toxic material known to man. It appears Japan has a plutonium economy, and perhaps other countries do as well. (Look up MOX on Wiki).

Does Japan make plutonium? This leads one to suspect that maybe Japan has a clandestine nuclear weapons program. Maybe there is a world market in contraband plutonium.nEven worse, maybe there is a world market in legal plutonium. I have a feeling the fallout (please forgive the pun, but I just couldn't resist)from this accident is only beginning.