The RadSecure program aims to remove dangerous substances from medical facilities and other...
Radioactive material is not always bad in a black-and-white way: it can be a useful tool.
The risk arises because the same radioactive material that is beneficial could also be stolen or misplaced and find its way into trafficking rings or dirty bombs.
In 2017 alone, according to a report from the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, there were 171 "Incidents of nuclear or other radioactive materials outside of regulatory control," based on open source reports, 104 of which happened in the U.S. Historically, fear of the material falling into the wrong hands has focused on foreign extremist groups, but some experts suggest the risk may also be turning toward violent extremist groups stateside.
Since Grothe got the call, he has been to two DOE sites-the Y-12 National Security Complex and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, both in Tennessee-to learn more about what the radioactive material is, why it is both handy and hazardous, how to protect humans and the material, what protection is already in place and what resources could help should the unthinkable occur.
Grothe's current work with ORS is part of an initiative called RadSecure 100, which aims to remove or better secure energetic material in 100 U.S. cities.
"Where is the most high-risk material located around the most people?" says Emily Adams, deputy director of ORS's domestic program.
At, say, an oil-drilling site, equipment with radioactive material is "Just a tool, like a hammer," not a city-threatening device, he adds.
Although someone could steal radioactive material for a dirty bomb at any time, the possibility is what is classically called a "Low-probability, high-consequence" event.
"There are plenty of examples where far-right extremists have, particularly recently, pursued acts of terrorism, acts of violence and historically radiological terrorism," says Nickolas Roth, one of the authors of the article and now a senior director within the Nuclear Threat Initiative's Global Material Security program.
A dirty bomb, containing the sorts of material RadSecure wants to secure, does not require as much sophistication.