[Doctor Stochastic]

...does not pose the safety and long-term radioactive waste concerns associated with modern nuclear power plants....

No, they pose other safety and waste concerns. (Neutron embrittlement of the reactor vessel is one obvious problem.)

[Holicheese]

(Neutron embrittlement of the reactor vessel is one obvious problem.)

Obviously!!

[chimera]

(Neutron embrittlement of the reactor vessel is one obvious problem.)

Anneal the damage out or swap out the vessel. I had a design on the books for a nuclear plant with replaceable components (including the pressure vessel). Nobody was interested because they thought it was too much of a (financial) risk.

[dljordan]

" (Neutron embrittlement of the reactor vessel is one obvious problem.)"

That's the first thing I thought of too. :)

[inquest]

Is it possible to have fusion reactions without neutrons (by generating helium-4)?

[bigmac0707]

Also I believe at least one of the hydrogen isotopes (deuterium?) most feasible for a thermonuclear reaction right now would produce some radioactive by-products. The half life, though, would be much shorter than uranium/plutonium waste.

I really hope to see an operational fusion reactor in my lifetime-- I think the ITER project has a good chance of bringing us there, and I hate to see that govt research funding in this area has been cut over the last decade.