Karen Silkwood was either a martyr among whistleblowers and nuclear safety activists, or, if you believe her employer’s account, a lunatic who smeared plutonium on the bologna in her fridge. As a lab ...

Plutonium can be used to make nuclear bombs. But it can also be recycled and used as a fuel in nuclear reactors. According to the authors of a Nature editorial, the UK—which has the largest civilian ...

It’s widely known that a smoke detector is a good ionizing radiation source, as they contain a small amount of americium-241, a side product of nuclear reactors. But what about other sources? [Carl ...

Opinions differ on whether the half ton of weapons-grade plutonium secretly shipped by the U.S. government to the Nevada National Security Site could impact residents’ health and the environment.

The fuel rods at all six reactors at the stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi complex contain plutonium — better known as fuel for nuclear weapons. While plutonium is more toxic than uranium, other radioactive ...

You can hold plutonium in your hand, but it has the potential to destroy entire cities. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Plutonium ...

Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory produced a golf-ball sized chunk of Plutonium-238, the Department of Energy announced today, just as NASA was running out of the isotope that fuels its Mars ...

For historical reasons, plutonium brings to mind nuclear weapons. Jan Hartmann brings another side of element 94 to attention, which features an upcoming trip to its eponymous celestial body.

Public health officials in San Francisco said no “immediate action” is needed to protect public safety after airborne plutonium was detected in the city. In 2024, the radioactive substance Pu-239 was ...