text: An alternative disposal method, transmutation, has been demonstrated at CERN for technetium-99. This transmutation process bombards the technetium ( as a metal target) with neutrons, forming the short-lived  (half-life 16 seconds) which decays by beta decay to stable ruthenium (). Given the relatively high market value of Ruthenium and the particularly undesirable properties of Technetium, this type of nuclear transmutation appears particularly promising.