NRC SUBMITS INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCE REPORT

ON RADIATION SOURCE PROTECTION AND SECURITY

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has submitted the second report of the Radiation 

Source Protection and Security Task Force to President Obama and Congress, outlining the 

federal government’s efforts over the past four years to enhance the security of radioactive 

sources.

The task force was established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, with the NRC as its 

chair, to evaluate and provide recommendations on the security of radiation sources in the United 

States from potential criminal or terrorist threats, including acts of sabotage, theft or use in a 

“dirty bomb.” The task force consists of representatives from NRC; the departments of 

Homeland Security, Defense, Energy, Transportation, Justice, State and Health and Human 

Services; the Director of National Intelligence; the Environmental Protection Agency; the CIA 

and FBI; the Office of Science and Technology Policy; and the Conference of Radiation Control 

Program Directors and Organization of Agreement States.

The legislation required a task force report in 2006 and every four years thereafter. The 

2006 report described efforts planned or underway to strengthen regulatory controls and made 

several recommendations to enhance the overall security of risk-significant radioactive materials, 

such as sources used in irradiators, radiography and certain radiation cancer treatments.

In the four years since the first report, the task force has met routinely to discuss progress 

and evaluate the protection and security of risk-significant radioactive materials. The 2010 task 

force report, submitted to the president and Congress on Aug. 11, presents the status of the 

recommendations and actions from the 2006 report as well as new recommendations in the 

following areas:

Coordination and communication improvements among government agencies and 

the public

Advances in the security and controls of radioactive sources

Recovery and disposition of unused radioactive sources, and

Alternative technologies that could perform all or some of the functions of 

radiation sources.

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001

E-mail: opa.resource@nrc.gov

Site: http://www.nrc.gov

No. 10-144 August 20, 2010
The task force will continue to meet to implement and monitor the progress of efforts to 

improve the security of radioactive sources and identify any additional gaps that may arise.

More information about the task force, including the 2010 and 2006 reports, is available 

on the NRC website at this address: http://www.nrc.gov/security/byproduct/task-force.html.

###

NOTE: Anyone wishing to take photos or use a camera to record any portion of a NRC meeting should 

contact the Office of Public Affairs beforehand.

News releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address: 

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE 

link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.