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International Panel on Fissile Materials
"Plutonium was first separated by the United States during the Second World War. Uranium was loaded into nuclear reactors, irradiated, cooled, and then chemically “reprocessed” in another facility to recover the plutonium. The reactors and the reprocessing plant were built as part of the secret atomic bomb project. Since then, eight other countries also have produced and separated plutonium for weapons..."
Recommended citation
Hui Zhang and Yun Zhou, "China,” Report chapter in "Plutonium Separation in Nuclear Power Programs: Status, Problems, and Prospects of Civilian Reprocessing Around the World," Report chapter by the International Panel on Fissile Material, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University, July 2015.
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