Raising awareness, improving security and strengthening global standards to prevent dirty bombs
NTI works with countries and industry on strategies to better secure radiological materials.
Thousands of sites in more than 100 countries house radiological sources—usually a sealed source of radiation used in commercial or medical devices, ranging from power source for batteries, types of industrial gauges or blood irradiation equipment. In what seems a cruel paradox, the very same isotopes used for life-saving blood transfusions and cancer treatments also can also be used to build a “dirty bomb.”
Many of these sources are poorly secured, vulnerable to theft by terrorist organizations seeking the materials needed for radiological dirty bombs. When detonated, it would release high doses of radiation and contaminate major portions of a city—undoubtedly triggering panic, rendering parts of a city uninhabitable for an extended period of time, resulting in large economic losses and risks of cancer among people who were exposed.
There are, however, a number of steps that can be taken to better secure—and in some cases even eliminate—vulnerable radiological materials. NTI has launched an initiative to eliminate one of the most lethal types of radioactive sources, cesium 137 blood irradiators, which are used globally in biomedical research and treatment. Ultimately replacing these radiological sources with alternative technologies is the best way to achieve permanent threat reduction.