Thorium reactors have so much promise, at least the pop culture version of them do, nuclear

reactors with free or cheap fuel that produce no significant waste are so awesome that there's

a sort of fanboy cult following.

And anywhere you have a cult following, you can be pretty well assured that there's

some exaggeration going on.

Today we're going to see what exactly is the real deal with these harbingers of a clean

future.

The truth behind thorium reactors is coming right up on Skeptoid.

You're listening to Skeptoid.

I'm Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com.

Thorium reactors fact and fiction.

Today we're going to take a second look at a technology that in the past few years has

become something of a cult icon.

Thorium reactors, some say, can provide limitless energy with a fuel that's cheap, safe and abundant,

causing reactors that can't melt down, can't be used for nuclear weapons production,

and produce almost no appreciable waste.

Such a system would seem to be a virtual miracle.

So today we're going to examine these claims and see if we can find some facts in what

appears to be an inordinate amount of hype.

Cultish support for anything should always raise a red flag or two.

First I have two disclaimers for you.

One is that technical discussions in this episode are oversimplified.

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