• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

  • Policy Issues
    • Fact Sheets
    • Countries
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Non-Proliferation
    • Nuclear Security
    • Biological & Chemical Weapons
    • Defense Spending
    • Missile Defense
    • No First Use
  • Nukes of Hazard
    • Podcast
    • Blog
      • Next Up In Arms Control
    • Videos
  • Join Us
  • Press
  • About
    • Staff
    • Boards & Experts
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Financials and Annual Reports
    • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Search
You are here: Home / Press Room / Center in the News / Hospitals and Dirty Bombs: Removing Dangerous Radiological Material from the Public Space

February 1, 2019

Hospitals and Dirty Bombs: Removing Dangerous Radiological Material from the Public Space

Program Assistant Erin Connolly wrote an academic paper for the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Weapons of mass destruction have proven to be an arduous aspiration for state and non-state
actors given that they are generally kept in secure facilities. However, radiological materials such as
cesium-137 do not share the same obstacles and are often found in locations that are, by nature, open
to the public despite their security risk. This paper explores the risk posed by cesium-137 and how
alternatives, such as x-ray blood irradiation, can reduce the risk of a radiological dispersal device (RDD)
and increase public security. Cesium-137 is most commonly used to irradiate, or sterilize, blood and can
be found in hundreds of facilities worldwide. In order to fully eradicate the risk of radiological terrorism,
countries should transition from cesium blood irradiation to viable alternatives–a process that will
likely require government assistance. The Nuclear Security Summit process emphasized the need to
transition away from cesium, but it is critical countries such as the United States continue to lead the
process in the absence of summits. Read more

Posted in: Center in the News, Nuclear Security, Press Room

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • How Open-Source Intelligence Can Unlock Nuclear Secrets September 27, 2023
  • The Future of Arms Control: 2023 Annual Conference September 20, 2023
  • The Evolving Cyber-Based Threat: The Need for International Regulations to Avoid ‘Accidental’ Conflicts September 12, 2023
  • 전문가들 “김정은 방러, 전방위 군사 협력 현실화…중국 셈법 복잡” September 12, 2023
  • North Korea’s Kim Jong Un to meet with Vladimir Putin as Russia seeks closer military ties, more support for Ukraine war September 5, 2023

Footer

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

820 1st Street NE, Suite LL-180
Washington, D.C. 20002
Phone: 202.546.0795

Issues

  • Fact Sheets
  • Countries
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Non-Proliferation
  • Nuclear Security
  • Defense Spending
  • Biological and Chemical Weapons
  • Missile Defense
  • No First Use

Countries

  • China
  • France
  • India and Pakistan
  • Iran
  • Israel
  • North Korea
  • Russia
  • United Kingdom

Explore

  • Nukes of Hazard blog
  • Nukes of Hazard podcast
  • Nukes of Hazard videos
  • Front and Center
  • Fact Sheets

About

  • About
  • Meet the Staff
  • Boards & Experts
  • Press
  • Jobs & Internships
  • Financials and Annual Reports
  • Contact Us
  • Council for a Livable World
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

© 2023 Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
Privacy Policy

Charity Navigator GuideStar Seal of Transparency