In past discussions, the dangers that iran’s nuclear program poses to the world have been reviewed. It is indeed likely that the Isarelis will attempt to destroy Iran’s reactors…but could they be rendered uselessby poisoning? I mean, there are certain elements that inhibit chain reactions, by absorbing the neutrons. These are substances like cadmium, boron, and compounds of those elements, which if introduced into the reactor, make it impossible for the reactor to go critical, and start the chain reaction.
Would this be the solution? How couldit be done?
Elements could be introduced into the reactor that would prevent it from going critical, but they would be trivial to remove. There is also the question of how this could be done without the cooperation of the reactor operator. Most reactors are well protected from the outside world.
In order to produce weapons grade uranium or plutonium, a great deal of isotope separation is required. So, any nuclear weapons program that relies on home-grown sources of nuclear material (like Iran’s) would already have in place the sophisticated technology required to purify uranium and/or plutonium. It is therefore difficult to imagine how any poisoning of their material could work.