1. CESIUM IRRADIATORS AND ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Andrew Bieniawski
Vice President for Material Security and Minimization
January 29-30, 2018

2. 2016 Nuclear Security Summit Communiqué
“The threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism remains one of the greatest challenges to international security, and the threat is constantly evolving.”
Adopted by 52 heads of delegation
April 1, 2016, Washington, DC
Stepping back to what the Summit hoped to achieve. The NSS process tackled twin threats of nuclear and radiological terrorism. 2

3. Commercial Availability of Radiological Sources
Thousands of radiological sources are found in over 150 countries
There are four isotopes of concern commonly used in hospitals, medical facilities and industrial applications (e.g. cancer treatment, blood sterilization, radiography, oil exploration)
Radionuclide and emission
Half-life
Chemical
Form
(typical)
Typical Use and Activity
(Curies)
Co-60
(b,g)
5.3 yr
Hard
Metal
Teletherapy &
Irradiators
(10,000’s Ci)
Cs-137
30 yr
Salt
Powder
( > 1,000’s Ci)
Ir-192
74 d
Radiography
(~100 Ci)
Am-241
(a,g)
433 yr
Oxide
Well Logging
(~ 10 Ci) 3

4. Impacts of an RDD
New York City
The effects of an RDD can vary depending on what type of radioactive material is used and how effectively it is dispersed
While few people would be killed by the initial blast, a single dirty bomb using Cesium-137 could render several city blocks unusable and cause tens of billions of damage in economic losses
Buildings would likely have to be demolished and access to the contaminated area could be denied for years
2 rem, 1st yr 4

5. Status of Efforts
There is a growing global trend to phase-out the use of cesium in blood and research irradiators.
France, Norway, Japan and Sweden have already taken significant steps to replace cesium with effective x-ray technologies.
Domestically, NTI, NNSA, and hospitals and medical facilities are taking similar steps in New York, California, and elsewhere.
California has the largest number of high-activity cesium devices in the United States (more than 100 devices).
We encourage hospitals and medical facilities in California to partner with NNSA and take advantage of the incentive programs and “get in the queue” as soon as possible. 4

6. Overall Assessment
The terrorist threat is dynamic and constantly evolving and we need to take the threat seriously.
The most dangerous isotope is cesium-137 because it is widely used and is highly dispersible.
Effective alternative x-ray technologies are currently available to replace both cesium blood and research irradiators.
A hospital or medical facility could be financially devastated if required to pay huge damages in the wake of a dirty bomb attack given lack of insurance coverage.
The most effective option is permanent threat reduction:
Replacing Cs-137 blood and research irradiators with x-ray devices that cannot be used to make a dirty bomb results in risk elimination. 5