Making the Nation Safer: The Role of Science and Technology in Countering Terrorism

The following HTML text is provided to enhance online readability. Many aspects of typography translate only awkwardly to HTML. Please use the page image as the authoritative form to ensure accuracy.

TABLE 2.1B Improvised Nuclear Devices

Threat Category

Threat Description

Threat Level

Potential Consequences

Improvised nuclear devices

Theft or diversion of SNM for fabrication of nuclear devices for use against U.S.targets or assets

United States: Low—SNM is well protected

Britain, China, France, India, Israel, Pakistan: Low—small amounts of materials are well protected

Russia: High—large inventories of SNM are stored at many sites that apparently lack inventory controls, and indigenous threats have increased

Potentially catastrophic—massive loss of life and severe political and economic destruction possible

the vulnerabilities of NPPs. It is not clear whether the vulnerabilities of NPPs constitute a higher risk to society than the vulnerabilities of other industrial facilities.

Research Reactors

Research reactors are used primarily to produce neutrons and gamma rays for research and development, and they provide a testbed for education on reactor physics and operations. As of April 2002 there were 36 operating research reactors in 23 states, an additional 12 reactors were being decommissioned, and 7 had licenses only to possess radioactive material.⁵ Most research reactors are

⁵	Much of the factual information used in this section is taken from the USNRC Web site. See, particularly, <http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/research-reactors.html>, last accessed May 20, 2002.

Free PDF Access

Free Resources

Related Titles

Making the Nation Safer: The Role of Science and Technology in Countering Terrorism (2002)

Research Reactors