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Spread of radioactive materials increases nuclear danger

Radiation poisoning a reminder of need for better ‘nuclear security, The Hindu , ‘Siddharth Varadarajan and R. Ramachandran, Apr 10, 2010, The Hindu : Front Page : Radiation poisoning a reminder of need for better ‘nuclear security’ New Delhi: Coming on the eve of next week’s Nuclear Security Summit, the news of people being sickened by cobalt-60 in a Delhi market is an embarrassing reminder of weaknesses in the Indian system of tracking minor radioactive substances……….
Cobalt-60 is used for medical purposes, industrial radiography for non-destructive testing and in the food processing industry for irradiation purposes. Like other radioactive material with industrial applications, the isotope is normally housed in a sealed container with lead shielding within whatever equipment it forms a part of. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) is meant to maintain a ‘cradle to grave’ system to keep track of such equipment, including through on-site inspections. But given its manpower limitations, radioactive material does get ‘orphaned’, eventually finding its way to the scrap market.

India is not alone in facing this problem. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has reported losing track of over 1,500 sealed sources since 1996, with more than half that number untraceable……..

[In India]  of the 1,485 institutions in which the 7,850 nucleonic gauges are located, the AERB conducted just 16 inspections in 2008-09. Similarly, for 505 industrial radiography units, only 39 inspections were done…..

Compared to earlier incidents involving radioactive sources, the latest case in Delhi appears far more serious. From the reported symptoms of one of the patients, the incident is clearly one of Acute Radiation.

The Hindu : Front Page : Radiation poisoning a reminder of need for better ‘nuclear security’

April 10, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, safety | antinuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, radioactive, uranium