This is somewhat off-topic, but I have a question for HNers who know more science than I do.<p>I have sometimes wondered whether a plasma torch could be used to safely dispose of exceptionally toxic waste? It seems to me that a plasma torch would break down anything fed into it into its constituent atoms/molecules, rendering it no longer toxic. I don't know what would happen to those atoms/molecules after they cool down, but I can't image that they would re-combine back into complex, toxic molecules.<p>I imagine that running a large plasma torch on a large volume of toxic waste would have a substantial energy cost, but would the cost of destroying toxic waste be greater than the current cost of dealing with all the toxic waste being produced?<p>Just wondering.