NNSA RECOVERS RAD SOURCE FROM BOSTON HOSPITAL

The National Nuclear Security Administration recently recovered a high-activity cesium-137 source from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, the latest in a series of 18 other recovery operations in the Boston area that have helped secure more than 850 unwanted radioactive sources that could be used in a dirty bomb. The most recent recovery operation netted a research irradiator that had been used for medical studies, the NNSA said. It was transported in two shipments to a secure location where it will be prepped for final disposition at a federal facility. The recovery operation was led by NNSA’s Global Threat Reduction Initiative. “This operation is a key part of the NNSA’s broad strategy to strengthen both U.S. and global security by keeping dangerous nuclear and radiological material safe and secure,” NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Anne Harrington said in a statement. “Today’s announcement is a good example of how NNSA utilizes its unique expertise and assets at the national laboratories to partner with local communities and other agencies to make our cities and those around the world safer and more secure.”