Global Jihad: temi, piste di diffusione e il fenomeno del reducismo ...

een discussed above. It therefore remains to address commercial radioactive sources
and so-called “orphan sources”. 159
Commercial and industrial sources
Radioactive
sources have numerous commercial
applications, including in medical devices,
healthcare products, pharmaceuticals, industry,
geological activities, food preservation, cosmetics,
emergency lighting and signage.
As a result these
Large numbers of sources are
already
in use for commercial and
industrial
applications –
monitoring and verifying they are
not diverted for malign purposes
is a significant challenge which
still requires
further work.
sources have been disseminated
around the globe with large numbers in use at this
time and even more having been
discarded. The proliferation risk posed by
commercial sources is dependent upon their size and radioactivity. Commercial
sources can be characterised as either weak or strong. Weak sources (producing up to
10 s ranging from smoke detectors to
9 Bq) have been used in commonplace item
medical diagnostic equipment. Individually
these sources pose a minimal
proliferation risk. High concentrations of weak sources could, however, pose a threat
if diverted for malign use. Strong sources, traditionally used in medical therapies,
although fewer in number pose a greater proliferation concern. There are over 10,000
medical radiotherapy units in current usage.
Radioactive sources are also widely used for radiography of metallic parts, gauges
and irradiation of products in numerous industrial settings. Tens of thousands
industrial radiography sources are used annually, the majority of which contain
lethal quantities of iridium-192, cobalt-60, selenium-75 or ytterbium-169.
159 For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (USA) definition of ‘orphan’ sources, see
www.nrc.gov/materials/miau/miau-reg-initiatives/orphan.html
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