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missing nuclear material could be used by terrorists
HI all, thought this was interesting. Be nice. ;-)
norm
> The Patriot-News
> Harrisburg PA
> November 1, 2001
>
> Raising Nuclear Concerns
>
> Terrorists could use missing materials, experts say
>
> BY BRETT LIEBERMAN
> OF OUR WASHINGTON BUREAU
>
> WASHINGTON - Terrorists are far more likely to target nuclear facilities,
> nuclear materials and radioactive sources worldwide since the Sept. 11
> suicide attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, the head of the
> International Atomic Energy Agency is warning.
>
> Nuclear and security experts have worried for years that unaccounted for
> nuclear materials in the former Soviet Union and other countries with weak
> controls could be bought or stolen by terrorists. Many experts believed the
> threat was not too great because of the personal risks involved.
>
> But the extreme willingness of the terrorist hijackers to sacrifice their
> lives has alarmed
> many of these same experts.
>
> "The willingness of terrorists to commit suicide . . . makes the nuclear
> terrorism threat 10 times greater than it was before September 11th," said
> Mohamed El Baraderi, director general of the International Atomic Energy
> Agency.
>
> Though nuclear power plants remain highly likely targets, a greater concern
> is tens of thousands of radioactive sources used for health care,
> agriculture,
> research and engineering or construction.
>
> There are 10,000 radioactive sources for radiotherapy alone. The number of
> other radioactive sources, such as those used to check for cracks in
> buildings or
> pipelines, is unknown. Many of these lost materials could end up in a bomb
> that
> combined conventional explosives with radioactive materials to create a
> deadly
> combination.
>
> "Security of radioactive materials has traditionally been relatively light,"
> said Abel Gonzalez, the IAEA's director of radiation and waste safety.
>
> "There are few security precautions on radiotherapy equipment and a large
> source could be removed quite easily, especially if those involved have no
> regard for their own health."
>
> Nuclear experts are meeting this week at the IAEA in Vienna, Austria,
> symposium on nuclear safeguards and security. "The threat we see is
> potentially everywhere," said IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming. "Because
> this stuff is so deadly [it was believed that terrorists] wouldn't touch it.
> Now we see they don't care about their own lives."
>
> Attacks on nuclear plants, re-processing or weapons plants remain a threat
> and would be the most devastating, but the more likely threats are
> potentially less devastating attacks using stolen radioactive sources, she
> said.
>
> Nuclear facilities are mostly well-guarded, but radioactive material sources
> elsewhere remain plentiful and are easily obtained.
>
> Even in the United States, radioactive sources are routinely lost, stolen or
> discarded on an almost daily basis.
>
> "There are at least 9,000 missing orphaned nuclear devices in the United
> States," said Scott Portzline, former security chairman of Three Mile Island
> Alert and an expert in missing radioactive sources. "I just began noticing
> that just about every other day something was lost, missing or stolen."
>
> In a 1992 incident, an 82-year-old woman died from radiation exposure and
> another 90 people were exposed after an Indiana, Pa., health center left a
> radioactive pellet used to treat cancer in her.
>
> According to the IAEA, there have been 175 cases of trafficking in nuclear
> material and 201 cases of trafficking in other radioactive sources such as
> medical or industrial materials since 1993.
>
> The Atomic Energy Commission, a precursor to the Nuclear Regulatory
> Commission, identified the problem of lost radioactive sources in the 195Os,
> but concluded it did not have the resources to keep track. The NRC
> documented more than 9,000 missing devices in its own mid-1990s study, but
> took no action to recover devices other
> than making it easier for scrap dealers to dispose of radioactive materials
> without penalty.
>
> Besides radioactive sources from medical and industrial uses, nuclear
> material has increased six-fold since 1970. The sources originate from 438
> nuclear power reactors, including 103 in the United States, 851 research
> reactors and 250 fuel cycle plants.
>
> Among the countries leading the charge to tighten security are the United
> States, France and Great Britain, partners in the U.S. led effort to combat
> terrorism.
>
> In addition to tougher security ordered by the NRC, governors in at least
> six states have ordered National Guard troops to help protect nuclear
> plants. The FAA temporarily banned small aircraft from flying near nuclear
> facilities. France also positioned missile batteries at a major nuclear
> reprocessing plant and has
> given orders to shoot down aircraft that fail to respond to warnings.
>
> Still, IAEA is urging countries to review plant designs and physical
> security for areas that can be strengthened.
>
> Brett Lieberman may be reached at (202)383-7833 or
> blieberman@patriot-news.com
--
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Coalition for Peace and Justice is a chapter of Peace Action.
"First they ignore you; Then they laugh at you; Then they fight you; Then you
win. (Gandhi) "Why walk when you can fly?" (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
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