Nascent emergency-response process that Argentina's Nuclear Regulatory Authority launched with the NNSA enabled Argentine authorities to recover the radioactive material in less than two days
- By Stephen Heiser -
The theft of a tiny Cesium-137 from an oil field in Argentina, was recoverd in only two days thanks to the training and efforts of the U.S National Nuclear Security Administration and a specially trained Argentine force. The cuplrits were arrested, the casium-137 was recovered, and there was no loss of life in an operation that went very smoothly and professionally.
For some time the NNSA has had a program in place (the International Emergency Management & Cooperation program) that provides equipment and training to countries and international organizations to help them develop an emergency nuclear and radiological response capability. To date, the NNSA has provided varying degrees of equipment (radiological screening equipment, etc) to 17 countries and one international organization (the IAEA).
Altogether, 62 countries and 4 international organizations (IAEA, WHO, WMO and the NEA have received equipment, training, assistance developing emergency response plans and procedures or assistance staging training exercises.
Here is a map outlining where NNSA assistance has been provided: http://www.nnsa.energy.gov/emergency_ops/documents/IEMC-AssistanceMap9-17-07.pdf
At approximately 0400 local time on 19 February 2009, two armed young men entered a Baker Atlas storage facility in Neuquen, Argentina, approximately 500 miles SW of Buenos Aries. (Baker Atlas has a material license issued by Argentina.) The culprits, armed with small-caliber handguns, handcuffed the guard and took the keys to a radiological source storage bunker.
The bunker that was broken into is surrounded by a chain-link fence. The culprits tore down a portion of this fence to gain access to a storage bunker containing cesium sources used for oil well logging. An overhead hoisting mechanism was used to pull the source out of the underground storage container. The container that the source was stored in is cylindrical in shape, about 12" high, 9" in diameter and weighs about 90 lbs. The entire event took approximately 3 minutes.
An NNSA-trained Emergency Response Group formed by the Argentine Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN) responded to the region to assist law enforcement in searching for the stolen radioactive material. ARN's trained specialists mobilized with NNSA-supplied specialized equipment, SPARCS, to detect radioactivity. (SPARCS is a versatile multi-platform radiation detection system that can be used for aerial, ground and boat operations. During missions, SPARCS consists of a commercial laptop attached to a specialized radiation detection system. The laptop acts as the main interface for the user. SPARCS records geo-referenced spectra and radiation levels. If she asks, we can provide her with further details of the equipment.)
The next day, February 20, the source was located and identified.
This real world response demonstrates the benefits of strong partnerships in emergency response and shows that developing a robust preparedness and response program is very important to protect the public, the responders, and the environment.
"International Emergency Management & Cooperation is an important part of NNSA's effort to implement President Obama's commitment to work with our international partners to prevent nuclear materials from falling into the hands of terrorists. After sixty years working with nuclear materials, the United States has unmatched expertise on nuclear and radiological security. NNSA leverages that expertise to provide a critical emergency response capability."
---NNSA Spokesman Damien LaVera