Missing WMD

February 26, 2009 3:39 PM

U.S. Energy Department Cannot Account for Nuclear Materials at 15 Locations

More on this story here.

Of course, fears over missing nuclear material are nothing new.

But considering that just yesterday the US intelligence director warned of the spread of nuclear materials, and considering Los Alamos is having possible inventory and security issues, it seems newsworthy.

And speaking of potentially deadly materials, some important developments on the anthrax case: "spores mailed to victims in the US anthrax attacks scientists say, share a chemical 'fingerprint' that is not found in bacteria from the flask linked to Bruce Ivins." (An earlier metafilter FPP on the anthrax case is here).

posted by ornate insect (21 comments total)

Gray skies are gonna clear up; put on a happy face!
posted by leotrotsky at 3:59 PM on February 26, 2009

Oh shit! Totally forgot, man. I'll drop 'em off on my way back from work tomorrow.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 4:23 PM on February 26, 2009

45 grams of plutonium is not enough to make bomb. But. Still.
posted by tkchrist at 4:31 PM on February 26, 2009

In other news: IAEA Inspectors: Iran not Producing Weapons-grade Uranium
posted by homunculus at 4:46 PM on February 26, 2009

Every example of American incompetence combined with dangerous materials with half-life greater than written history became clear to me when I read that until 1970, we put "low level" nuclear waste in cardboard boxes in ditches.
posted by yeloson at 4:52 PM on February 26, 2009

Hey, at least they didn't just put it in drums and dump it in the ocean, and at least they didn't machine-gun the barrels that wouldn't sink.
posted by mullingitover at 5:03 PM on February 26, 2009

Radiation is good for you, how else do you plan to acquire super powers?
posted by b1tr0t at 5:22 PM on February 26, 2009

Broken Arrow? Where's John Travolta ?
posted by njbradburn at 5:29 PM on February 26, 2009

Radiation based powers would have been easy if only we continued Project Pluto- the flying unshielded nuclear ramjet! Who would fear chemtrails in the sky with that bad boy flying about?
posted by yeloson at 6:12 PM on February 26, 2009 [1 favorite]

Oh it's got to be somewhere. Just think of the last place you were when you had it.
posted by pianomover at 6:56 PM on February 26, 2009

There's a lot of shit I can't account for at a lot more than 15 locations.
posted by Ironmouth at 8:15 PM on February 26, 2009 [1 favorite]

I sure feel safe in the knowledge that the USA will be able to store a whole lot of nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain safely for thousands and thousands of years given that they seem to have lost track of 189 tonnes of the stuff recently.
posted by ssg at 8:22 PM on February 26, 2009 [1 favorite]

45 grams of plutonium is not enough to make bomb.

How is bomb formed?
posted by DecemberBoy at 8:24 PM on February 26, 2009 [1 favorite]

SSG:

If there's one thing we're good at, it's not letting history inform future policy!

USA! USA! USA!
posted by yeloson at 9:09 PM on February 26, 2009

You really do not want to know how bomb is formed. Trust me on this one.
posted by dopeypanda at 12:57 AM on February 27, 2009

You'll find them next to the WMDs in Iraq.
posted by the_very_hungry_caterpillar at 1:33 AM on February 27, 2009

45 grams of plutonium is not enough to make bomb. But. Still.

It's not enough to make a nuclear bomb, but it's plenty to make a dirty conventional bomb. Many, in fact.
posted by kcds at 4:01 AM on February 27, 2009

If your talking terrorism, all you have to do is point out to the average American that protons may have a half-life and announce that roughly half the bomb's mass was those very protons!

Mindless panic in the streets in three, two, one....
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 5:40 AM on February 27, 2009

If only there were plans to consolidate all of this nuclear waste in one location, say, under a mountain in the middle of nowhere.....that would be a great idea
posted by limited slip at 6:55 AM on February 27, 2009

45 grams of plutonium is not enough to make bomb.

But it's enough to fill that empty slot in your element collection.
When they were looking for it, did they check ebay?
posted by -harlequin- at 12:35 PM on February 27, 2009

I'm sure the guys at Yucca Mountain are as committed to making it leakproof as these guys were to not losing any nuclear materials.
posted by feloniousmonk at 2:29 PM on February 27, 2009