HOMELAND SECURITY ISSUES RELATED TO PROPOSED DOT AND NRC REGULATIONS

["Hart, Tim P GS (RASO)" <harttp@RASO.NAVY.MIL>]

RADSAFERS,



The following was sent to me by a friend and I think the points are worth

considering:



HOMELAND SECURITY ISSUES RELATED TO PROPOSED DOT AND NRC REGULATIONS



If a dedicated and intelligent "Terrorist" organization were to consider the

use of "Dirty" bombs, that is chemical bombs with associated quantities of

Radioactive Material, this organization would have several priorities,

including determination of the location and accessibility of large, Type B,

quantities of Radioactive Material.



The most easily accessible devices containing this material are units that

are no longer in use and have been placed in permanent storage in many

hospitals, universities and industrial installations, many times in

out-of-the-way locations that are monitored by the Radiation Safety

Departments on these institutions at most on a six month basis for leak

tests, or longer if the RAM license eliminates leak tests for devices in

storage.



The locations of these devices are public information, typically listed in

the published licenses for these institutions.



It is obvious that it would be in the best interest of these "Terrorist"

organizations that existing devices with known locations remain in these

locations indefinitely.  Any change in regulations, which would prohibit the

shipment of these devices for reuse, reloading, decommissioning, burial,

etc., would be of major benefit to these "Terrorist" organizations.



Please consider that the adoption of the proposed NRC/DOT shipping

regulations will result in fulfilling these "Terrorist" fondest dreams by

making it impossible to transport the devices they covet from their present

known locations, many of which have minimum security.



Is this a coincidence?  Was the IAEA unduly influenced to adopt shipping

standards, which assured that these would result in many large Radioactive

Sources in its member states becoming unshippable "Orphan Sources' with

resulting access to "Terrorist" organizations?  Have the US shipping

authorities considered the consequences of their proposed regulations in the

context of "Homeland Security?



Tim Hart

Radiation Protection Manager

NAVSEADET RASO

NWS P.O. Drawer 260

Yorktown, VA 23691-0260



Commercial: (757) 887-4692

DSN:  953-4692

Fax:  (757) 887-3235



"If we could just get everyone to close their eyes and visualize world peace

for an hour, imagine how serene and quiet it would be until the looting

started."

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