Radiation poisoning a reminder of need for better ‘nuclear security'
The HinduComing on the eve of next week's Nuclear Security Summit, the news of people being sickened by cobalt-60 in a Delhi market is an embarrassing reminder of weaknesses in the Indian system of tracking minor radioactive substances. In the wake of heightened international fears about terrorists making ‘dirty bombs' with radioactive or radiological material or even acquiring atomic weapons, the April 12-13 meeting in Washington, DC, on nuclear security — defined by the IAEA to include radiological security as well — will focus on institutionalising best practices so that such material does not fall into the wrong hands. Though far less dangerous than plutonium or enriched uranium — the raw material for making nuclear bombs — the cobalt isotope which leaked when a worker cut open a piece of metal that his employer had acquired as scrap is one of those substances that countries are supposed to keep strict track of. Though India has a good record as far as physical security of its nuclear premises and materials accounting are concerned, its system for tracking sealed radioactive sources is one area which needs strengthening.
History of this topic
Delhi: Five years later, Mayapuri is still as unsafe as ever
Hindustan Times
Radiation response team recovers 16 cobalt pencils from Mayapuri
The Hindu
Don't blame it on bad arithmetic
The Hindu
No abnormal radiation levels on varsity campus: V-C
The Hindu
DU staff ‘miscalculated’ Cobalt-60's radioactive time
The Hindu
Inquiring into how Cobalt-60 reached scrap dealer: Dikshit
The Hindu
Radioactive material came from Delhi University lab
The Hindu
Experts fear presence of more radioactive sources in Mayapuri
The Hindu
Deadly waste
The Hindu
"Radioactive material may have come from abroad"
The Hindu
Delhi scrap market radiation free: Govt
The Hindu
Sheila keen on curbing entry of radioactive waste
The Hindu
AERB gives all-clear signal for radiation-hit Mayapuri
The Hindu
Top-level committee to trace Cobalt-60’s origins
Hindustan Times
Radioactive waste import norms to be tightened, says AERB
The Hindu
Two more sources of radiation detected
The Hindu
Radioactive material removed from Delhi scrap shop
The Hindu
Delhi's Mayapuri Safe, Radioactive Substances Retrieved, Sealed And Taken Out, Says BARC
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