Detection of special nuclear materials at portal monitors and location and recovery of contraband special nuclear materials: legal and technical problems
This report examines the issues of how reliably special nuclear materials (SNM) can be detected during attempts to steal it and how recovery techniques initiated because of a confirmed theft may affect civil liberties. Chapter II addresses the technical abilities and limitations of detecting SNM under both controlled and uncontrolled conditions. The concepts of ''spiking'' and shielding are examined. Chapter III discusses the legal requirements and technical limits on detecting small quantities of SNM during smuggling attempts. Assessments are made concerning the type of detectors most desirable and which forms of SNM could logically be spiked to enhance their detectability. Administrative and legal restrictions on portal searches and emergency site responses to SNM losses are comprehensively examined. Chapter IV examines the activity of searching for and recovering contraband SNM. Methods for searching, sources of difficulty, and estimates of sensitivity are made. (All data are unclassified.) The legal implications of area and perimeter searches are examined with particular regard to problems of search and seizure law.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH00016
- OSTI ID:
- 5157931
- Report Number(s):
- NUREG/CR-2217; BNL-NUREG-51414; ON: TI86000976
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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