Resources & Stats

This fact sheet shows how the NRC and the nuclear industry work together to secure the safety and security of radioactive materials used for industrial and consumer applications as well as for electric power generation.

March 2012

Key Points

• Nuclear technologies benefit Americans in many ways, ranging from biomedical research to consumer goods. They are used in many applications, including medical diagnosis and treatment; the development of hardy, disease-resistant crops; academic research; locating mineral deposits; and consumer goods, such as smoke detectors.

• The independent U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and individual states regulate the use and control of radioactive materials. The NRC also regulates nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities.

• The industry supports and has effectively implemented controls for radioactive sources to prevent improper use by unauthorized individuals. Any further controls should be commensurate with the potential threat posed by a given material if used improperly.

• In 2010, a federal interagency task force mandated by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 released a report that said existing security had been improved and outlined the federal government’s efforts to enhance the security of radioactive sources.

• The Energy Policy Act of 2005 also mandated the creation of an online system for tracking certain radioactive materials. NRC and industry have effectively implemented the National Source Tracking System, which maintains an up-to-date accounting of the more than 70,000 highest-risk sources in the country.

Protecting the Public With Safety-Focused Regulation
The industry believes that safety is the key measure that should govern regulation of radioactive materials. Such an approach establishes controls on radioactive materials based on the potential for security risks and, if used improperly, detrimental health effects of a given material. Stricter controls are placed on materials as required. For example, for the trivial amount of radioactivity in smoke detectors, controls need not be as stringent as those on the more radioactive sources used to sterilize medical equipment.

The NRC’s wide-ranging regulatory framework effectively governs radioactive materials, including both sealed sources—those encapsulated for their specific application—and unsealed sources. The NRC has agreements with 37 states to regulate the safety and security of these materials. The framework focuses on regulation of sources that, if intentionally misused, could affect safety.

The NRC had taken steps to enhance this program prior to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The industry believes these steps were warranted and, given the concerns with the potential safety threat posed by radioactive materials if used improperly, the industry implemented additional enhancements. These enhancements include such features as a National Source Tracking System and more stringent programs to ensure physical protection, proper handling, transfer between licensees and disposal of radioactive sources. In March 2012, the NRC approved regulations codifying existing security requirements on the physical protection of radioactive materials and the industry will be implementing these changes in accordance with the new regulations.

The NRC also is operating under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy and individual states to provide a means for the recovery, storage and disposal of radioactive materials that have no identifiable owner, such as materials abandoned by a company. While the program has been successful, the industry believes Congress should appropriate more resources since the National Source Tracking System may identify additional sources for retrieval.

Task Force Finds ‘No Significant Gaps’ in Radioactive Source Security
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 mandated that a federal interagency task force assess the security of radioactive sources in the United States every four years. The NRC chairs the task force, which includes representatives from more than a dozen other agencies that have broad responsibilities for radioactive sources. Its 2010 report concluded that security of radioactive sources had been improved since the 2006 report and offered recommendations for future efforts. The report noted that existing security had been improved by:

• requiring fingerprinting and FBI criminal history records checks of all individuals with unescorted access to
• providing voluntary security enhancements and specialized training to sites and local law enforcement agencies.

In addition, 100 countries have made a political commitment to follow the International Atomic Energy Agency Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources, up from 86 countries in 2006.

National Source Tracking System
The NRC deployed the National Source Tracking System in 2009 to enhance controls for high-risk radioactive sources. The system maintains an up-to-date accounting of the more than 70,000 highest-risk sources in the country.

This classification system established levels of control, monitoring and registration, based on each material’s potential health and security risks. Holders of these the top two categories of radioactive materials are required to report any transfers of the materials to the National Source Tracking System.