of support activities required both to provide raw fuel and to recover and recycle the uranium and‘plutonium make up what is maown as the nuclear fuel cycle. The AEC has 4 nrojectes that over 4 million megawatts of nuclear capacity will be installed between 1970 and 2020°. Over the lifetimes of these plants this installed capacity could result ina cumulative flow of approximately 200 million kilograms of plutonium through the nuclear fuel cycle. In today's commercial reactors the plutonium is in oxide form, Pu. cycle, aerosols At various of Puls a routine basis. are released In addition, the fuel cycle where accidents, with fire or explosions, Pus facilities in the nuclear fuel to the environment on there are numerous points in particularly those associated can release significant amounts of as aerosols that can be inhaled by man. These small aerosol particles of Pu05 are highly radio- ‘active. An appreciable fraction of the inhaled Pu0> particles are trapped in the deep respiratory tissue of the lung, where, because they are insoluble in human tissue, 4/ Updated (1970) Reactor Program, million megawatts Cost-Benefit Analysis of the U. USAEC, (Mw) WASH-1184, January 1972, S. p. Breeder 34. Four corresponds to 4000 nominal-size nuclear reactors -- 1000 Mw each. 5/ Some advanced seactors of the future may use carbide and nitride, rather than oxide, form. * PT LS SVM : " ae . oe mo . ‘oo c)aJ We ™ hed * a aren eae Pe me re pet ee aT pe ap set. 4, : a me ’ ¥ 5 ‘. ad a gwer " ela et a wae. ! . yh ae pote eoMe , a OS 42 te Beye RB et ge it eoPee Ld t * . a ge! “er * a, . . roa oa . ‘op at ay aa oe t fuel in nn va a} 4 Lo + - eee y ome . ' we ' <