July 29, 2015

NNSA Repatriates Radiological Material from Mexico

By ExchangeMonitor

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced this week it has repatriated “three irradiators containing U.S.-origin radioactive sources from Mexico.” A U.S. Air Force cargo aircraft flew the three irradiators containing the“ high-activity radioisotope” cesium 137 from southern Mexico to the United States, at which time the shipment was “securely transported via truck to a permanent storage facility,” according to the DOE agency. The press release says cesium 137 could be used in radiological dispersal devices, better known as “dirty bombs.”

The initiative was executed with the assistance of the Mexican government, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the Air Force, and the Department of Agriculture, and was supported by personnel from the Idaho, Los Alamos, and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories, along with the Nevada National Security Site and Savannah River Site, the announcement says.

Comments are closed.