Because is only 0.7 percent of naturally occurring uranium, its
supply is fairly limited and could well only last for about 50
years of full-scale use. The other 99 percent of the uranium can
also be utilized if it is first converted into plutonium by
neutron bombardment: The production of plutonium can be carried
out in a breeder reactorA nuclear reactor designed to produce
nuclear fuel as it produces energy. which not only produces
energyA system's capacity to do work. like other reactors but is
designed to allow some of the fast neutrons to bombard the ,
producing plutonium at the same time. More fuel is then produced
than is consumed. Breeder reactors present additional safety
hazards to those already outlined. They operate at higher
temperatures and use very reactive liquidA state of matter in
which the atomic-scale particles remain close together but are
able to change their positions so that the matter takes the
shape of its container metals such as sodium in their cooling
systems, and so the possibili