Key Issues
Ensuring the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources
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Task Force Finds ‘No Significant Gaps’ in Radioactive Source Security
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 mandated that a task force assess the security of radioactive sources in the United States. The NRC chairs the task force, which includes members from more than a dozen other agencies that have broad responsibilities for radioactive sources.
In August 2006, the NRC released a report prepared by the task force. It concluded that U.S. agencies are protecting the radioactive sources that most need protecting, based on potential attractiveness to terrorists and the extent of the threat to public health and safety.
The task force found no major gaps in programs to manage and secure radioactive sources. However, it offered recommendations that, “once implemented, will enhance the security of risk-significant radioactive sources in the United States,” said NRC Chairman Dale Klein in an Aug. 15 letter to President Bush.
The NRC and DOE also are leading an effort to establish international agreements to improve the global safety and security of radioactive sources. The IAEA is coordinating this effort.
Viewpoints on Nuclear Energy
Video
An eight-minute, streaming audio-video clip presenting the security measures in effect at nuclear power plants, including a regimen of armed guards, patrols, detection equipment, and physical barriers, as well as the design of the plant itself.
