China Moves Radioactive Material for Olympics

China has received U.S. aid in moving radioactive material away from planned sites for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the Canadian Press reported yesterday (see GSN, March 3).

U.S. nuclear experts visited Beijing last fall and in mid-December to help relocate radioactive items, sources close to the project said.  They said the move appeared to be part of an effort to secure research and medical devices containing material that could be used in a radiological “dirty bomb.”

“I think the worry is that if terrorists were able to take explosives, let's say, and target a radioactive source that's located at or near an Olympic site venue and blow up that facility … then that could be a huge international event,” said Charles Ferguson, a science and technology scholar at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Counterterrorism officials have taken similar steps in the past to secure radioactive materials before major sporting events such as the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece, Ferguson said.

“They contact hospitals, universities in those cities to figure out where are the powerful radioactive sources,” he said.

“It's not that these things have a high probability of getting loose or falling into the hands of bad actors or terrorists, but they’re just taking precautions.  Especially for something as high-profile as the Summer Olympics.”

The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration has said it is operating “a cooperative effort with Chinese authorities in support of the 2008 Beijing Olympics,” Canadian press reported.  However, U.S. and Chinese officials have offered next-to-no comment on details of their joint effort (Bailey/Bronskill, Canadian Press/Yahoo!News, March 3).

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