Conference Proceedings
All Days, 2006
Authors
Stefan Claus Colhoun, Keith Freier, Kyle Wright, Gregory Herdes, Greg Dwyer
Abstract
Introduction
In the past, industry radiation protection programs were built almost exclusively around radiation safety and the minimization of radiation dose exposure to employees. Over the last decade, and especially the last few years, the emphasis has shifted to include the physical security and enhanced control of radioactive materials. The threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism is a genuine international security concern. Terrorists are actively seeking the necessary materials, expertise and technology needed to develop weapons of mass destruction including a Radioactive Dispersal Device or " dirty bomb". In May 2004, the U.S. Department of Energy/U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration unveiled the Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) to respond to a growing international concern for the proper control and security of radioactive and nuclear materials. Large quantities of nuclear and radioactive materials located throughout the world are not adequately secured against today's proliferation and terrorist threats. The goal of GTRI is to cooperate with concerned nations and industries to enhance the security of vulnerable nuclear and radioactive materials.
An integral part of the GTRI, the International Radiological Threat Reduction (IRTR) Program, was established in early 2002. The IRTR Program is foremost a government-to-government cooperative program with the mission to reduce the risk posed by vulnerable radioactive materials that could be used in a Radioactive Dispersal Device (RDD). However, as the IRTR Program has grown, its partners have also grown and now include international bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (note: sensitivity with Interpol in mentioning our relationship with them) and private industries throughout the world.
Governments alone cannot prevent the misuse and illicit trafficking of radioactive sources. By expanding the role of private industry as a partner, existing government regulatory infrastructures can be enhanced by formulating and adopting industry self-regulation and self-policing measures. There are additional benefits of a Government/Industry Partnership: sharing best practices, resource and cost sharing, cooperative risk reduction, and strengthened security measures for sources ultimately incorporated into existing site operation and safety procedures.
