Plan for Commercial Use A commercial lobby is developing for turning plutonium into reactor fuel rather than encasing it in glass.

Softball-Sized Triggers Idaho's action has posed a serious threat to the continued operations of Rocky Flats, the only plant in the country that turns plutonium into the softball-sized atomic bombs that serve as triggers for nuclear warheads.

The isotope project was presented to Idahoans as an advanced laser and chemical processing plant that would turn impure plutonium, unfit for use in warheads, into purer weapon-grade plutonium.

Most of the equipment was described as outmoded, and it is still not clear if North Korea has the technology to turn plutonium into effective weapon fuel.

Then, without penalty, they can withdraw from the treaty and turn enriched uranium or plutonium into bombs.

Then, the object of the classification system was mostly to keep the Russians and the Chinese from learning the extent of American nuclear strength and from picking up American techniques for turning their uranium and plutonium into more efficient weapons.

Turning plutonium into lead (whether at a distance or not) lies beyond molecular technology for the same reason that turning lead into gold lay beyond an alchemist's chemistry.

But Mr. McCain prefers to chase what may turn out to be a will-o'-the-wisp instead of stopping the North from turning real plutonium into real bombs now.

The project to turn weapons-grade plutonium into fuel was initiated by President Bill Clinton with an agreement with Russia in September 2000 to neutralize 34 tons of plutonium from American and Russian weapons dating from the cold war.

Rocky Flats is the only plant that turns plutonium into the softball-size atomic bombs that serve as triggers for nuclear warheads.