Metabonomics for detection of nuclear materials processing.

Conference · Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2010

OSTI ID:1023002

Alam, Todd Michael; Luxon, Bruce A ^[1]; Neerathilingam, Muniasamy ^[1]; Ansari, S ^[1]; Volk, David ^[1]; Sarkar, S ^[1]; Alam, Mary Kathleen

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1. University Texas Medical Branch

Tracking nuclear materials production and processing, particularly covert operations, is a key national security concern, given that nuclear materials processing can be a signature of nuclear weapons activities by US adversaries. Covert trafficking can also result in homeland security threats, most notably allowing terrorists to assemble devices such as dirty bombs. Existing methods depend on isotope analysis and do not necessarily detect chronic low-level exposure. In this project, indigenous organisms such as plants, small mammals, and bacteria are utilized as living sensors for the presence of chemicals used in nuclear materials processing. Such 'metabolic fingerprinting' (or 'metabonomics') employs nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to assess alterations in organismal metabolism provoked by the environmental presence of nuclear materials processing, for example the tributyl phosphate employed in the processing of spent reactor fuel rods to extract and purify uranium and plutonium for weaponization.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Laboratories
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• OSTI ID: 1023002
• Report Number(s): SAND2010-5461C
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
BACTERIA
DETECTION
MAMMALS
METABOLISM
NATIONAL SECURITY
NUCLEAR FUELS
NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
PLUTONIUM
PROCESSING
PRODUCTION
RADIOLOGICAL DISPERSAL DEVICES
SECURITY
SENSORS
SPECTROSCOPY
TBP
URANIUM