The State Department said on March 20 that the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) has successfully expanded the non-military and productive uses of nuclear energy.
The department said peaceful uses of the 45-year-old NPT have grown tremendously and are improving the lives of people all over the globe by guaranteeing food safety, improving human health and protecting the environment.
To illustrate the impact of nuclear energy on food use, the department said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has helped African laboratories to improve the detection of animal diseases, and in Latin America it has cut the threat of the fruit fly to crops. The U.S. is the largest financial supporter of the IAEA.
The U.S. has civil nuclear agreements that permit peaceful nuclear cooperation with 47 countries, as well as the IAEA and Taiwan, and is seeking others. The U.S. is also leading the effort to help other countries access nuclear fuel, including the IAEA’s low-enriched uranium bank. Also made available are 230 metric tons of low-enriched uranium, down-blended from surplus highly enriched uranium, via the American Assured Fuel Supply bank, which is now the largest fuel bank in the world.
