The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) removed all of the cesium-137 irradiators in South Carolina as part of the Cesium Irradiator Replacement Project, the agency said last week.
This makes South Carolina the 13th U.S. state, or U.S. territory, to clear high-risk cesium-137 radioactive material from the region. The other states as of yet are: Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Dakota and Wyoming.
These cesium irradiators are used for medical treatments including blood treatment and cancer research. However, the radioactive material inside is at risk for potential adversarial uses if stolen, including a “dirty bomb” or a mix of radioactive material and conventional explosives, the release said. Due to this risk, NNSA is working to replace the irradiators with alternatives.
While the effort was first codified into law in the John McCain National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2019, according to the press release, NNSA has worked with facilities in South Carolina since 2017 to remove and replace radioactive technologies with alternatives.