URANIUM SMUGGLING>>>NUCLEAR SMUGGLING!!!

One of the major threats looming over the nations of the world is the nuclear bomb terror. Every major conflict of the world is followed by nuclear attack threatening. As we all know it will create havoc in the environment coupled with a huge toll of human casualty, this issue certainly needs to be addressed

Uranium, one of the major elements in designing a nuclear bomb has become accessible to the anti-social elements at a leisure walk which is a major concern. The best example was the September 11 terror attack which involved smuggling of uranium cylinders right into the country.

In 2006, 39.655 tones of uranium were mined in

· Canada (25%),

· Australia (19.1%),

· Kazakhstan (13.3%),

· Niger (8.7%),

· Russia (8.6%),

· Namibia (7.8%) research reactors.

The mined uranium undergoes enrichment at various levels. The enrichment of uranium gives this form of highly enriched uranium (HEU) which can be fashioned into a nuclear bomb unlike low enriched uranium (LEU) that cannot be converted into an atomic bomb.

The Hiroshima atomic bombing involved 65kg of highly enriched uranium. More recently America uses HEU to fuel its navy and also in medical field.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, 275 confirmed incidents involving nuclear material and criminal intent occurred globally between January 1993 and December 2006. Four involved plutonium, but 14 involved HEU(highly enriched uranium.

In the move to curtail terrorism raising barriers in the illegal supply chain of uranium should be considered as an important motive.

It has been discovered that the US ports are major uranium smuggling channels. The first generation detectors (Radiation Portal Monitors) and the second generation detectors (advanced spectroscopic portal) erected on the US ports failed to restrict the smuggling of uranium. Abcnews   led an operation to actually check the detectors with depleted uranium which has similar properties as of highly enriched uranium. And they happened to successfully bring the uranium right through the scrutiny without being detected. This continuing saga of NRDC’s uranium slug could prove fatal in unimaginable ways.

IMPORTANT POINTS:

· There is at least more than 100 chronology of uranium smuggling incidents since 1993,raising an alarm towards this issue.[ref: http://ftp.fas.org/irp/cia/product/go_appendixa_032796.html%5D

· Trafficking Uranium which constitutes to a major composition of a nuclear bomb is a fearful issue for humanity and environment.

· Highly enriched uranium(HEU) was part of the major nuclear blasts including 11/9 attack, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, etc

· The US government has not replaced the detectors that could not detect HEU at the ports because that would cost them a lot but the expense of the potential consequences will be certainly heavier and irreparable.

· Hypothetically speaking a terrorist could easily smuggle 15 pounds of highly enriched uranium which is the minimum amount of uranium required to fashion a nuclear bomb across the US ports.

· America should Blend the military stock of HEU into low enriched uranium and use physical security for the reserves of HEU under Russia.

PERSONAL VIEWS:

In my view, I favor the national resources defense council of America which calls for a global ban on commercial use of highly enriched uranium. This is a best solution because then the US ports won’t need the specialized detectors for highly enriched uranium. Moreover this will serve as major roadblock to all the HEU supply chains, be it legal or illegal. The other solution is replacing the production of highly enriched uranium with low enrich uranium at the research reactor level itself completely eliminating the possibility of HEU circulation in any part of the world.

The government instead of wasting millions of dollars in tracing down nuclear weapon usable material should rather try to terminate the production of HEU at the grass root level.

One of the major threats looming over the nations of the world is the nuclear bomb terror. Every major conflict of the world is followed by nuclear attack threatening. As we all know it will create environmental havoc coupled with a huge toll of human casualty, this issue certainly needs to be addressed.

Uranium, one of the major elements in designing a nuclear bomb has become accessible to the anti-social elements at a leisure walk which is a major concern. The best example was the September 11 terror attack which involved smuggling of uranium cylinders right into the country.

In 2006, 39.655 tones of uranium were mined in

· Canada (25%),

· Australia (19.1%),

· Kazakhstan (13.3%),

· Niger (8.7%),

· Russia (8.6%),

· Namibia (7.8%) research reactors.

The mined uranium undergoes enrichment at various levels. The enrichment of uranium gives this form of highly enriched uranium (HEU) which can be fashioned into a nuclear bomb unlike low enriched uranium (LEU) that cannot be converted into an atomic bomb.

The Hiroshima atomic bombing involved 65kg of highly enriched uranium. More recently America uses HEU to fuel its navy and also in medical field.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, 275 confirmed incidents involving nuclear material and criminal intent occurred globally between January 1993 and December 2006. Four involved plutonium, but 14 involved HEU(highly enriched uranium.

In the move to curtail terrorism raising barriers in the illegal supply chain of uranium should be considered as an important motive.

It has been discovered that the US ports are major uranium smuggling channels. The first generation detectors (Radiation Portal Monitors) and the second generation detectors (advanced spectroscopic portal) erected on the US ports failed to restrict the smuggling of uranium. Abcnews   led an operation to actually check the detectors with depleted uranium which has similar properties as of highly enriched uranium. And they happened to successfully bring the uranium right through the scrutiny without being detected. This continuing saga of NRDC’s uranium slug could prove fatal in unimaginable ways.

IMPORTANT POINTS:

· There is at least more than 100 chronology of uranium smuggling incidents since 1993,raising an alarm towards this issue.[ref: http://ftp.fas.org/irp/cia/product/go_appendixa_032796.html%5D

· Trafficking Uranium which constitutes to a major composition of a nuclear bomb is a fearful issue for humanity and environment.

· Highly enriched uranium(HEU) was part of the major nuclear blasts including 11/9 attack, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, etc

· The US government has not replaced the detectors that could not detect HEU at the ports because that would cost them a lot but the expense of the potential consequences will be certainly heavier and irreparable.

· Hypothetically speaking a terrorist could easily smuggle 15 pounds of highly enriched uranium which is the minimum amount of uranium required to fashion a nuclear bomb across the US ports.

· America should Blend the military stock of HEU into low enriched uranium and use physical security for the reserves of HEU under Russia.

PERSONAL VIEWS:

In my view, I favor the national resources defense council of America which calls for a global ban on commercial use of highly enriched uranium. This is a best solution because then the US ports won’t need the specialized detectors for highly enriched uranium. Moreover this will serve as major roadblock to all the HEU supply chains, be it legal or illegal. The other solution is replacing the production of highly enriched uranium with low enrich uranium at the research reactor level itself completely eliminating the possibility of HEU circulation in any part of the world.

The government instead of wasting millions of dollars in tracing down nuclear weapon usable material should rather try to terminate the production of HEU at the grass root level.