The federal black hole of lost nuclear bomb material
Link here. Key quote:
Unlike civilian stocks, which are closely monitored by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and openly regulated – with reports of thefts or disappearances sent to an international agency in Vienna — the handling of military stocks tended by the Department of Energy is much less transparent.
The Energy Department, which declined comment for this story, doesn’t talk about instances of lost and stolen nuclear material produced for the military. It also has been less willing than the commission to punish its contractors when they lose track of such material, several incidents suggest.
As much as six tons of nuclear material is recorded as missing and unaccounted. Worse,
Regarding transfers to academic researchers, government agencies, or commercial firms within the United States, the Energy Department’s inspector general concluded in 2009 –the most recent public accounting – that at least a pound of plutonium and 45 pounds of highly-enriched uranium loaned from military stocks had been officially listed until 2004 as securely stored, when in fact it was missing.
The most important point made by the article is that the federal government imposes no consequences on anyone in the government who screws up in this matter. In fact, the article cites examples where the incompetent were given awards afterward. Meanwhile, this same federal government has punished private contractors very severely for similar mishaps.
This really is par for the course. The federal government today is terribly run, and those in charge routinely get away with being incompetent, and often get bonuses for being so. If we had any sense, we’d shut it down, firing everyone. We could quickly hire new people and get things done better.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Link here. Key quote:
Unlike civilian stocks, which are closely monitored by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and openly regulated – with reports of thefts or disappearances sent to an international agency in Vienna — the handling of military stocks tended by the Department of Energy is much less transparent.
The Energy Department, which declined comment for this story, doesn’t talk about instances of lost and stolen nuclear material produced for the military. It also has been less willing than the commission to punish its contractors when they lose track of such material, several incidents suggest.
As much as six tons of nuclear material is recorded as missing and unaccounted. Worse,
Regarding transfers to academic researchers, government agencies, or commercial firms within the United States, the Energy Department’s inspector general concluded in 2009 –the most recent public accounting – that at least a pound of plutonium and 45 pounds of highly-enriched uranium loaned from military stocks had been officially listed until 2004 as securely stored, when in fact it was missing.
The most important point made by the article is that the federal government imposes no consequences on anyone in the government who screws up in this matter. In fact, the article cites examples where the incompetent were given awards afterward. Meanwhile, this same federal government has punished private contractors very severely for similar mishaps.
This really is par for the course. The federal government today is terribly run, and those in charge routinely get away with being incompetent, and often get bonuses for being so. If we had any sense, we’d shut it down, firing everyone. We could quickly hire new people and get things done better.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
The plastic disks (calibration standards) while very expensive due to their nature as analytical standards or reference materials, really are of little concern for health and safety.
However, if I had lost this stuff, you bet the Canadian regulatory agency would string me up!!!!!!!
Has anyone checked with the Clinton Foundation? The apparent losses of quantities is a health concern (and terrorist concern). I do not know if plutonium is carcinogenic. I doubt it. It kills to rapidly to have been study for that route. It is highly poisonous!!!!
Check with the Clintons!
HAR
That’s a good one. Maybe the Russian president will return what the Clintons have already sold…
Of course, they will want their money back. I wonder how they will collect it… By any means possible? Billionaires from holding public office… And without any investigation of wrongdoing. No intent? HAR
Mexico also can’t seem to hold on to their radioactive materials.
2017
This is at least the seventh case of radioactive material being stolen across Mexico since 2013, according to AFP. In all instances the materials were recovered safely.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04/25/truck-carrying-radioactive-material-stolen-in-mexico-9-states-on-high-alert.html
And again last week.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/986384/mexico-radioactive-waste-mexico-city-truck-stolen
Won’t be long now before we see a dirty bomb somewhere.
Engineering a gun-type atomic bomb is not that complicated. The hard part is obtaining the right amount of highly enriched uranium. Unfortunately, the amount needed is not large and there appears to be a fair amount of HEU floating around on the black market. I think the risk of atomic terrorism is real but downplayed by governments because they don’t want to panic people.
Just as an update, posting in the proper location, it has just been revealed that some plutonium went missing last year!
The government kept under wraps not willing to panic any one. They still will not reveal how much plutonium and cesium had gone missing. (it takes seven pounds to make atomic weapon) It was in the protective box that was stolen from the car in the parking lot as the two men from Idaho was sleeping.
https://m.chron.com/news/investigations/article/Plutonium-went-missing-in-San-Antonio-but-the-13069949.php