Foreword: Safe Interim Storage of Plutonium Containing Materials

The safe storage and disposition of plutonium containing materials andother radioactive elements is a legacy responsibility of nations that havenuclear reactors, access to nuclear materials, and/or facilities for nuclearmaterials separation. This responsibility is virtually global because of thewidespread use of nuclear power. With the emergence of nuclear technology,large quantities of plutonium-containing materials have been producedaround the world in developed countries, both as an outgrowthof national weapons programs and the proliferation of nuclear power.Therefore the handling, storage, and disposal of plutonium materials inventoriesis of worldwide concern and must be carefully managed untilthe inventory is either used as a nuclear fuel or placed in a safeguardednuclear materials repository. The articles contained in the winter andspring 2010 issues of the Journal of Nuclear Materials Management summarizethe engineering, science, and surveillance activities that supportthe U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) efforts to assure that the excessplutonium materials within the DOE Complex are stored in a safe andenvironmentally friendly manner. While the papers focus on plutoniummaterials, the approach and technical methodology presented is widelyapplicable to the storage of other nuclear materials. We hope that theinformation contained in these articles will contribute to assuring thesafe and responsible management of the existing and emergent nuclearinventories throughout the world.