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FYI
The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 67: May 27, 2003

Energy Secretary Abraham on Security of Radiological Materials

Part 1 of 2

"There is nothing [terrorists] would like better than to cause the
panic that the detonation of a radiological dispersal device would
create.  We know from experience with accidental releases of
radiological sources that they can cause widespread panic, economic
hardship, and significant health concerns....  It is our
responsibility to determine how to prevent such an attack in the
first place, and how we should respond if, despite our best efforts,
such an attack were to occur."  - Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham 

At an international conference earlier this year, Secretary of Energy
Spencer Abraham pledged that the United States would assist other
countries - especially developing countries - in tracking, securing,
and disposing of radiological sources that could be used by
terrorists in Radiological Dispersal Devices, or "dirty bombs."
Selections from Abraham's remarks, made on March 11 at the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conference on the Security
of Radioactive Sources, are highlighted below.  Some paragraphs have
been combined to save space.  The full text of Abraham's remarks can
be found on the DOE web site at
http://www.energy.gov/HQDocs/speeches/2003/marss/IAEAConference.html. 

PURPOSE OF CONFERENCE:

"We are gathered here to deal with an important issue: the terrible
threat posed by those who would turn beneficial radioactive sources
into deadly weapons. The technical term for these weapons -
Radiological Dispersal Devices or RDDs - has not come into general
use....  But increasingly the public knows about these weapons, and
they are deeply concerned. They call RDDs, 'dirty bombs.' 

"It is our critically important job to deny terrorists the
radioactive sources they need to construct such weapons. The threat
requires a determined and comprehensive international response.  Our
governments must act, individually and collectively, to identify all
the high-risk radioactive sources that are being used and that have
been abandoned.  We must educate our officials and  the general
populace, raising awareness of the existence of these dangerous
radioactive sources and the consequences of their misuse.  And we
must account for and tightly secure these sources wherever they may
be."

AVAILABILITY OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCES:

"Radioactive sources can be found all over the world, and terrorists
are seeking to acquire them.... There is nothing they would like
better than to cause the panic that the detonation of a radiological
dispersal device would create.  We know from experience with
accidental releases of radiological sources that they can cause
widespread panic, economic hardship, and significant health
concerns." 

"That's why our work is so important.  It is our responsibility to
determine how to prevent such an attack in the first place, and how
we should respond if, despite our best efforts, such an attack were
to occur. All countries should act in their own self-interest by
taking the steps needed to better secure high-risk radioactive
sources. 

"My reason for suggesting the conference was in no small measure
because RDDs are different from what we are accustomed to in our more
traditional nuclear non-proliferation work. We are used to policing a
defined number of nuclear facilities. Our job has been to focus on
that small number of countries bent on violating the nuclear non-
proliferation norm and acquiring fissile materials for nuclear
weapons.  But the radiological materials that could be used in an RDD
exist in a variety of forms in virtually every country in the world.
And they are often loosely monitored and secured, if at all." 

BENEFITS OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCES:

"The use of radioactive sources is widespread. They have many
beneficial industrial, agricultural, research and medical
applications.  In the medical field alone, roughly one hundred
radioisotopes are used in various nuclear medical research,
diagnosis, sterilization, and teletherapy applications.  Millions of
cancer patients have had their lives prolonged due to radiotherapy
treatments, and patients of all kinds have benefitted from
bacteria-free, sterile medical equipment made possible by irradiation
technology." 

"Scientific research using radioactive materials takes place in
laboratories all over the world.  Radioisotope Thermoelectric
Generators, or RTGs, have been used for remote power application.
Industrial gauges containing radioactive sources are commonplace.
Radiation is used to increase the size and improve the health of
crops, and remote beacons stand sentinel for years thanks to
radiation's energy. 

"Despite the wide use of radioactive sources, only a small portion of
them poses a real threat as potential ingredients in an RDD.  I
called for this Conference last  September in order to raise
awareness of those radiological materials that have the greatest
potential to result in exposure, contamination, and mass disruption.
Your presence here - almost 600 participants from well over 100
countries - is reassuring proof of how seriously we all take the RDD
threat.... [T]aking measures to control dangerous is not just the
responsibility of few nations, but all nations. Each of us must act
to create a seamless web of protection and control of high-risk
radioactive sources to prevent their malicious use. Each of us must
take on this significant responsibility."

STEPS BEING TAKEN BY THE U.S.:

"In the United States, we are evaluating potential vulnerabilities in
our control of these materials in order to strengthen our regulatory
infrastructure to better account for them, to track their use and
disposition, and to ensure appropriate protection during import and
export. We are also working to ensure that those using these
radioactive sources are authorized to do so and are using them for
legitimate purposes.  In determining what additional protective
measures might be needed, we are using a graded approach that takes
into account potential hazards and protective measures already in
place." 

RADIOLOGICAL SECURITY PARTNERSHIP PROPOSAL:

"The United States believes that to solve the problems we will
discuss today, we must attack them in all their dimensions.  That's
why I am pleased to announce today a new initiative that I hope will
become international in scale.  The Radiological Security Partnership
is a three-pronged approach to addressing the potential threats from
under-secured, high-risk radioactive sources. 

"The first prong is helping countries accelerate and expand national
initiatives to keep track of and better secure national inventories
of high-risk radioactive sources.  In this regard, our new
partnership includes a new initiative to provide well over $1 million
in technical assistance and equipment to IAEA Member States to
facilitate effective tracking of high-risk sources....  Second,
countries need to draw on international resources that can give
practical advice and assistance in bringing these sources under
control.  The United States is currently working with Russia and the
IAEA to identify and secure high-risk radioactive sources in the
former Soviet Union, and we believe the time has come to broaden that
kind of cooperation. 

 - Continued -

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