[ RadSafe ] Proliferation: the case of radioactive isotopes to Iran

[Dan W McCarn]

Why are we doing this again?  Iran has scores of much larger sources in use and many more retired sources. What's the issue?

This is what I wrote before -

Iran is a huge oil producer, and the nature of petroleum exploration / development entails geophysical borehole logging - always with gamma-gamma density and neutron porosity tools with sources comparable to the IAEA Category 2 and 3. I'm sure that they have scores of sources in the Iranian petroleum industry currently in use, and have retired scores more. Not to mention large teletherapy sources for cancer treatment or food preparation / sterilization.

Dan W. McCarn, Geologist
AIPG CPG #10245, Wyoming PG #3031, EurGeol #462 Houston, TX


-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf Of Gerry Blackwood
Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 17:27
To: Bruce Tefft; Rad Safe
Subject: [ RadSafe ] Proliferation: the case of radioactive isotopes to Iran

Proliferation: the case of radioactive isotopes to Iran
       
 On 22 July, a truck containing 10 lead-lined boxes was intercepted at the Bulgarian-Romanian border, after Bulgarian scanning detectors measured radiation 200 times the normal background radiation. The consignment, destined for Iran, was discovered by the Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NPA) to contain soil-measuring devices incorporating the radioisotopes cesium-137 and americium-beryllium. In the light of the continuing controversy over Iran's record of nondisclosure about its nuclear activities, questions arise as to the intended purpose of such a consignment.