The United States is seeking to secure a potential radiological "dirty bomb" ingredient that is used in medical devices, USA Today reported yesterday (see GSN, May 5).
By the end of 2009, the new U.S. initiative is expected to place security measures on roughly 1,300 blood irradiation devices containing cesium chloride, according to officials at the Homeland Security and Energy departments.
A single machine uses enough of the material to fuel a dirty bomb, said Vayl Oxford, head of the Homeland Security Department's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. He added that securing the devices "takes a potential threat off the table."
A series of "Red Teaming Assessments" drew attention to the vulnerability last year, when U.S. agents managed to reach cesium in the machines in only two minutes (see GSN, March 26, 2007).
The security upgrades "will help keep potentially dangerous material safe and secure from theft or misuse," said Thomas D'Agostino, head of the Energy Department's National Nuclear Security Administration. D'Agostino's office and the Homeland Security Department would each pay half the cost of the upgrades, as much as $3,000 for a single machine.
Counterterrorism officials have tried for years to safeguard against potential dirty bomb attacks, which could disperse hazardous radioactive material and cause public panic and economic damage (Mimi Hall, USA Today, Sept. 24).