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Canada Unsure of Missing Radioactive Devices
Several different numbers have been given recently in Canada for the number of missing devices containing radiological material that could potentially be used in a terrorist attack, the Associated Press reported on Friday (see GSN, July 3). The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission first reported only one device that has gone missing over the last few years. In a matter of days that figured rose to 27 since 2002, then to 40, and then back to 32 as of Friday, according to the AP. “I received a revised report of what’s confirmed is still missing and my count is 32,” said commission spokesman Max London. “They’ve been taking a real hard look at the list.” The radioactive material was contained in gauges, medical tools and other equipment. They were most often taken from parked vehicles or stolen along with vehicles in which they were stored, he added. “We see no pattern that thefts are targeting the gauges,” The revised numbers came about as the agency contacted companies and found that some of the missing devices had been recovered. Ten of the 32 missing items were classified as a moderate safety risk with the remaining 22 classed as low risks. Even material in low-risk gauges could be used by a terrorist in a “dirty bomb,” which would use conventional explosives to spread radioactive material. “The fact that these devices are going missing in these quantities just underscores what I think people in the business know: we haven’t yet arrived at a way to fully lock down material,” said Wesley Wark, a security expert at the University of Toronto (Rob Gillies, the Associated Press, July 6).
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