Tuesday's Documentary
The power that destroyed Nagasaki is being tamed. For more than 20 years the nuclear industry has been trying to harness plutonium and make it the fuel for a new generation of nuclear reactors - the ' fast breeders.' But many people outside the industry consider the dangers are too great.
The benefits are clear: the harnessing of plutonium can provide cheap, abundant electricity for hundreds of years. But how can we assess the risks: atom bombs in the hands of terrorists or unscrupulous governments; cancer from a few grains of plutonium dust? Will our descendants curse us for the legacy of radioactive waste? Do we need the electricity anyway?
Decisions will soon be made on Britain's nuclear future and the fast breeder reactor. Should we go ahead or do the risks dictate that we search for a safer alternative?
Research DAVID woodnutt
Producer simon CAMPBELL-JONES