What is MOX?
MOX stands for “Mixed Oxide” fuel; it is obtained by blending the man-made substance plutonium with non-enriched uranium. Plutonium is a strategic nuclear material requiring extraordinary security measures because, if stolen, it can readily be used as a nuclear explosive. Plutonium is also far more toxic than any type of natural or enriched uranium; it is known as one of the most toxic substances on earth. Stolen plutonium can be used in a so-called “dirty bomb” a conventional explosive device that scatters deadly radioactive materials into the environment. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) is currently testing a small MOX fuel element in a reactor at Chalk River, using plutonium extracted from Russian and American nuclear warheads. AECL has proposed that Canada import tons of weapons-grade plutonium from Russia and America to be fabricated into MOX fuel for CANDU reactors in Ontario. Although it has been greeted with enormous opposition from organizations and communities all over
