How sand and science can solve a ubiquitous international security threat

摘要

Millions of sealed radioactive sources (SRS) are being used globally for a wide variety of beneficial purposes. Based on an analysis of accidents and numerical simulations, security experts are very concerned that an SRS could be used in a radiological dispersion device (RDD) to terrorize and disrupt society. This threat is real, as rogue nations and terrorists are currently seeking such materials. The most vulnerable are the hundreds of thousands of unwanted SRSs that owners must hold at their premises indefinitely because there are no disposal facilities available. The most dangerous of these unwanted SRSs cannot be safely disposed of in near-surface disposal facilities, and only a few countries are likely ever to have a deep-mined geologic repository.