OREANDA-NEWS. November 6, 2008. President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev has decreed to make changes to the list of nuclear materials to be owned exclusively by the Russian Federation.

Three radioactive nuclides — americium-241, americium-243 and californium-252 — have been removed from the list

The changes are aimed at improving the nuclear materials treatment system designed to preserve and develop the scientific-industrial potential of Russia and to strengthen its positions on the world market.

Americium and californium are artificially-produced radioactive chemical elements discovered in mid XX.

Americium-243 can live for as long as eight years and is used in radio-chemical research. Americiuam-241 is used in control and measuring systems in industry, particularly, systems measuring the thickness of steel and aluminum tapes and sheet glass. Americiuam-241 is also used for removal of electro-static charges from plastic materials, synthetic films and paper as well as for smoke detection.

Californium is used in production of neutron sources and as a start-up neutron source.

The list of nuclear materials to be used exclusively by the Russian Federation was approved by the President on Apr 27 2007.

The list comprises 20% enriched uranium-235, plutonium, uranium-233 and neptunium-237, except for uranium used as fuel for nuclear power plants and research reactors; radio-nuclides used in nuclear radiation detectors and are part of irradiated nuclear fuel.

One more exception is plutonium as part of MOX fuel and materials containing 80% or more of plutonium-238.