LA-UR 073686 Nefarious Uses of Radioactive Materials

Year
2007
Author(s)
Charles Streeper - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Marcie Lombardi - Los Alamos National Security and California Poison Control System
Dr. Lee Cantrell - Los Alamos National Security and California Poison Control System
Abstract
The November 2006 death of Alexander Litvinenko through the ingestion of 210Po (polonium-210) has reignited the debate concerning the possibility of the future malicious use of radioactive materials. However, before making any assumptions about this incident based upon the media frenzy surrounding the case, it would be prudent to look at past incidents in order to put it in perspective. This paper looks at past incidents of misuse of radioisotopes in order to look at the Litvinenko case through a historic lens. In the course of this research, several moderately restricted databases and one open-source document were discovered; several conclusions have been provided on the effectiveness and the shortcomings of these databases.