An Overview of Non-Traditional Nuclear Threats

Journal Article · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2005 · Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 263(1):267-273

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-005-0047-8· OSTI ID:964628

Geelhood, Bruce D; Wogman, Ned A

In view of the terrorist threats to the United States, the country needs to consider new vectors and weapons related to nuclear and radiological threats against our homeland. The traditional threat vectors, missiles and bombers, have expanded to include threats arriving through the flow of commerce. The new commerce-related vectors include: sea cargo, truck cargo, rail cargo, air cargo, and passenger transport. The types of weapons have also expanded beyond nuclear war-heads to include radiation dispersal devices (RDD) or “dirty” bombs. The consequences of these nuclear and radiological threats are considered. The defense against undesirable materials enter-ing our borders is considered. The radiation and other signatures of potential nuclear and radio-logical threats are examined along with potential sensors to discover undesirable items in the flow of commerce. Techniques to improve detection are considered. A strategy of primary and secondary screening is proposed to rapidly clear most cargo and carefully examine suspect cargo.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 964628
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-38424; NN2001000
• Journal Information: Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 263(1):267-273, Journal Name: Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 263(1):267-273
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English