wo former policemen and another person were arrested last year in Moldova on suspicion of trying to sell four pounds (nearly two kilograms) of uranium on the black market, authorities said Wednesday, although the amount was too small to be used in a nuclear warhead or a “dirty bomb.” Officials identified the material as uranium-238 and said it had a value of euro9 million ($11.35 million). Uranium-238 can be enriched into the fissile material of nuclear warheads or converted into plutonium, also used to arm nuclear missiles. Both processes are complex and need much more of the material than the amount reported seized, which also was much too little to be used for a “dirty bomb.” Interior Ministry officials said the traffickers were trying to sell the uranium, which was kept in the garage of a former policeman, to people from unspecified countries. U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner congratulated Moldova’s government for the break up of what he called a uranium smuggling ring and said an FBI team had assisted Moldovan authorities with “technical analysis.” Moldovan authorities have sent the uranium to a German atomic center to establish the percentage of enrichment and country of origin. The International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna declined immediate comment on the case. “We congratulate the Moldovan Ministry of Interior for its work in thwarting what was a serious smuggling attempt,” Toner told reporters in Washington. “Preventing nuclear smuggling is a priority for this administration, and the U.S. government continues to work with partners worldwide to thwart nuclear smuggling cases.” ( Via The Associated Press )
“I’m really stunned to see such fear and ignorance-based responses at the highest levels of the government. “serious smuggling attempt”? Where the hell does this come from? Also, where the hell do they get the value of $11.35 million from? I am assuming the value of the uranium is an error on the part of the Associated Press, or possibly based on the price that the “criminals” were asking for the uranium, which was reported to be about nine million Euro. Honestly, if anyone is willing to pay that much, they’re an idiot and getting hosed badly, because I can get you that much U-238 for considerably less. In any case, that may be the asking price, but it sure as hell is not the “value.” The reports (and there are many) are not entirely clear on whether this is natural or depleted uranium. Both natural and depleted uranium are composed primarily of U-238. In the case of natural uranium it’s about 99.3% U-238, with most of the remaining being U-235. Depleted Uranium is less than .3% U-235. The article mentions that the uranium could be enriched (although you would get very little enriched uranium from two kilograms of unenriched uranium.) That would seem to imply it is natural, although depleted uranium is sometimes suitable for “re-enrichment” to recover that remaining .3% or less of U-235. I believe the uranium is most likely of the depleted variety. This photo was published in several news outlets and reports to show the uranium in question. It appears to be some kind of counter-weight or possibly a plug from a shielded cask – both of these being common uses of depleted uranium.
The source of the uranium is unknown, but it may have been scavenged from a junked aircraft or from a scrap metal yard. So is this dangerous? Absolutely, unequivocally and unquestionably NO. It’s not dangerous – at least no more so than a chunk of lead of equal size. You could possibly drop it on someone’s head, but that’s about the worst you could do with this uranium. Despite numerous published reports claiming that this could be used in a so-called “dirty bomb,” it presents negligible radiation danger. For a dirty bomb to have any potential at all for radioactive hazard, it would have to use large amounts of something much more potent than U-238. Cobalt-60 or Cesium-137 might do the trick (if you had a real real lot of it), but even then, the effectiveness is questionable. That, however, is another topic entirely. In any case, the potential for using this in a dirty bomb is zero. Is it a even crime? I have to admit that I’m not an expert on the laws in Moldova, but unless this item was stolen outright then I don’t even see why this would be considered a crime. The material itself is not especially hazardous. It’s less radioactive than high grade uranium ore, which can be found just laying on the ground in many places in the world. It’s less toxic than lead. It’s not really suitable for any kind of “terrorist” use. In most circumstances, depleted uranium is not regarded as a material that requires much regulation for radiological hazard. In the United States, for example, any person may possess, transfer, buy or sell up to fifteen pounds (a little less than 8 kilograms) of depleted uranium with no need for a license or permit of any kind. Larger quantities may be subject to regulation, depending on circumstances. In general, uranium found in consumer products that are either approved or pre-date current regulations are exempt from permit requirements. Approved counterweights, instrument shielding and other products manufactured within applicable regulations are generally also exempt.
Of course, uranium in its mineral form is not covered by nuclear materials regulations. However, the NRC and Federal Government does have the right to seize radioactive substances, even those which are not generally subject to regulations, if they are deemed a hazard. There are certainly circumstances where this might be necessary for example, if a huge number of radium clocks and aircraft dials are being improperly disposed of, it may be necessary to step in and take action, even though these items would normally be exempt from regulation by virtue of the fact that they are consumer products that predate the current regulatory framework. Unfortunately, this kind of breathtakingly idiotic panic and fear-mongering can be a very dangerous thing when combined with fact that the government can seize items deemed dangerous. This is the exact kind of idiocy that can lead to large areas being cordoned off when a small piece of depleted uranium is found or to hazmat teams raiding homes to confiscate Fiestaware plates or antique Vaseline glass sculptures. While I do not know what the regulations are outside the US, I’d assume that they are probably similar. Most countries maintain the right to declare items or areas to be hazardous. Uranium is not generally regulated as highly radioactive substances of other types are, if it were, many common rocks and minerals would be illegal not to menti0n the products ranging from aircraft counterweights to glazed pottery.
Is it so outlandish that authorities could be spooked by reports of uranium-glazed china to swoop in and declare their efforts a “raid against terrorist material?” Well, the US State Department seems to think that a tiny amount of U-238 is reason to dispatch a “technical assistance” team to another country, and we live in a society where schools are closed down and cordoned off because someone broke a mercury thermometer and where major universities worry about radioactivity in buildings which, nearly a century ago, stored polonium-210, which has a half-life of 138 days. The U-238 could be used to downblend weapons-grade uranium to be used in the “civilian nuclear industry,” and if anti-armor DU ordinance counts as “weapons of mass destruction” then the BBC might have a point. More like “Upblended” – the only value of depleted uranium in terms of making fuel through blending is that it’s used to reduce enrichment. You add a little bit of highly enriched uranium to a larger amount of depleted uranium and you end up with low enrichment uranium. Of course, it “could” be used in a nuclear weapon in some circumstances. Many Teller-Ulum bombs used DU for the outer tamper. It could also be used as feedstock to breed plutonium. Of course, both of these are pretty far fetched for a terror group, as you need a complete nuclear weapons program first. Yet the media has decided to focus a lot on this – ridiculous though it might be. It’s all just so stupid. You can get depleted uranium if you really want it. It’s sold in small samples as a calibration source. If you need more, here is just one company that can provide it: www.mfgsci.com . (Source: www.depletedcranium.com )
This news make us to reflect on many thinks. The easy of access to nuclear material in the territories of the former Soviet Union is a security issue that needs to be addressed immediately. The black market for these materials is thriving and shows no sign of stopping, which is certainly aided by how freely available the materials are to gain access to. Nuclear terrorism needs to be recognized as the number one national security threat the US and the world faces. The reason being because the people most likely to purchase this smuggled nuclear material are terrorists themselves who seek to use a “dirty” bomb, or worse, a nuclear bomb, against their enemies. The elimination of nuclear weapons will undoubtedly require the halting of the production of new nuclear materials and the safe storage and/or reprocessing of old nuclear material, like that stored all over the territories of the former Soviet Union. Taking these steps will dramatically reduce the threat of nuclear terrorism. However, in the current political environment, the successful negotiation of an FMCT (Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty) is still a long way off. However, we do have an immediate step that we can take. We can ratify New START. Ratifying New START will not only reduce the threats posed by nuclear weapons, but it will also be an enormous step in building trust again between the US and Russia, which may go a long way to also helping Russia secure the nuclear materials that smugglers seem to so easily get their hands on. President Obama has already made a commitment to secure all loose nuclear materials across the globe by 2013. An ambitious goal to be sure, and only attainable if a first step is taken to START the process.
