Radiological Weapons:  IAEA Calls for Increased Radioactive Material Safeguards

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei today urged countries to step up security measures related to radioactive material to head off the possibility of a terrorist attack with a radiological “dirty bomb” (see GSN, March 4).

“It is clear that additional security measures are urgently needed,” said ElBaradei, pointing to recent reports of terrorist attempts to get radioactive material for use alongside conventional explosives.

ElBaradei said some countries are reviewing regulations of radioactive material in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States but that many other countries have yet to take up the matter.

“While a number of countries are stepping up relevant security measures, many others lack the resources ... to effectively control radioactive sources,” said ElBaradei, who cited 280 known cases of criminal trafficking of radioactive material (Louis Charbonneau, Reuters, March 11).

ElBaradei’s remarks came at the first dirty bomb conference, a three-day Vienna event attended by hundreds of scientists and government officials and hosted by the United States and Russia.

Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev said Moscow is “ready to solve” problems related to its stores of radioactive material (Associated Press/CNN.com, March 11).

U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced $3 million in aid during the next year to help developing countries track down radioactive material.

“The threat requires a determined and comprehensive international response,” Abraham said.  “It is our responsibility to determine how to prevent such an attack in the first place and how to respond if, despite all our best efforts, such an attack occurs anyway” (Charles Hanley, Associated Press/Yahoo.com, March 11).

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Radiological Weapons:  U.S. Oil Company Investigating Missing Nigerian Radioactive Material

The U.S. oil company Halliburton has begun an investigation into the disappearance of radioactive materials used in its operations in Nigeria, Reuters reported today (see GSN, Feb. 27).

Halliburton officials said the material was stolen in early December.  The materials were part of probe used in oil detection operations.  The device was kept in locked storage box that weighs about 200 pounds.

The officials are concerned that the missing material could be used to construct a dirty bomb, according to the Wall Street Journal.  If the missing material were combined with a pound of TNT and exploded, such a weapon could contaminate an area of up to 60 city blocks, according to an expert.

“We are working to locate this radioactive material and we’ve also made the public aware,” Halliburton spokeswoman Wendy Hall said (Reuters/Planet Ark, March 10).

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