Radiological threats

Spain tightens security of nuclear plants
There are eight active nuclear power plants in Spain; recent incidents — Greenpeace activists breaching security in one plant; an employee trying to smuggle out uranium tablets in another — convinced the authorities that more must be done to secure them
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New York opposes extending Indian Point license
Indian Point nuclear plants in Westchester County are surrounded by 20 million people within a 50-mile radius, more than any other reactor in the country; plants’ operator applied for a 20-year extension license, but the State of New York says plants pose too much risk and should be shut down
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Bulgaria to build the first Russian-designed nuclear reactor in the EU
Bulgaria will be the first EU country to build a nuclear power plant based on Russian design; the plant will be built at a site deemed unsafe two decades ago because it was prone to earthquakes
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U.S. intelligence: Iran halted work on nuclear weapons in 2003
The U.S. National Intelligence Estimate, which represents the consensus view of all sixteen American spy agencies, asserts that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains on hold
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Europeans install radiation detectors as U.S. question detectors' efficacy
U.S. legislators raise questions about DHS’s $1.4 billion program which aims to deploy nuclear radiation detectors in U.S. ports; GAO raises questions about test methodology of latest technology; Europeans, though forge ahead with port deployment
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How real is the nuclear threat for the United States?
Graham Allison: “Based on current trends, a nuclear terrorist attack on the United States is more likely than not in the decade ahead”
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Uncertainties about nuclear waste storage
The waste created in the production of U.S. nuclear weapons is buried in Hanford, Washington; there is a growing uncertainty about the subsurface paths nuclear contaminants take, where they travel, and how fast
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ECBC recognized for contribution of chemical, biological standoff detection
Edgewood Chemical Biological Center’s research and development of standoff biological and chemical detectors is recognized by the U.S. Army
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CANBERRA offers new interactive CD for popular UltraRadia radiation monitor
Monitoring nuclear radiation and dosage levels is becoming more important for firefighters, HAZMAT teams, paramedics, and other first responders — but also for soldiers in the theater; it is also important for those in the nuclear power industry
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Major conference on illicit nuclear trafficking to open next week
The IAEA next week will hold a major conference on illegal possession and illicit trafficking of nuclear materials; in 1995 the IAEA established the Illicit Trafficking Database; to date, it has received reports on approximately 1,250 incidents
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North Korea argues it had no plan to enrich uranium for weapons
Another potential embarrassment for U.S. intelligence: North Korea says it will prove that it never had the plans or the means to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons
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NIST shows tiny sensor with biomedical, homeland security applications
Tiny sensor can detect magnetic field changes as small as 70 femtoteslas — equivalent to the brain waves of a person daydreaming; in addition to medical uses, sensor may be deployed in airport screening for explosives based on detection of nuclear quadrupole resonance in nitrogen compounds
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ICx delivers underwater radiation detection devices
The Coast Guard is bolstering its ability to detect underwater smuggling of nuclear materials into the U.S.; one way to do so is to equip the service with ICx’s identiFINDER-U
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NRC seeks public comments on reactor oversight
As interest in nuclear power is revived, more application for building reactors come in — after a lull of more than two decades nearly; the NRC wants the public to comment on reactor oversight
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Worldwide Nuclear Power
For the last twenty years, nuclear power has provided about 16% of the world’s power needs; renewed interest in nuclear energy — energy
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