Agency reveals scale of illicit trade in atomic material

The massive scale of the illicit trade in nuclear material has been revealed by the UN's atomic watchdog which claimed that there have been close to 60 incidents of illegal trafficking since the beginning of the year.

The trafficking includes possible cases of unauthorized acquisition, provision, possession, use, transfer or disposal of nuclear material and other radioactive material.

The UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued its trafficking warning at its 48th General Conference in Vienna this week.

In a report to the Agency’s Board of Governors last week, IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei warned that although preventive efforts continue to accelerate and expand, “clearly, the circumstances that first led to a plan for protection against nuclear and radiological terrorism have not diminished".

Some 540 illicit incidents spanning the past decade were reported through December 2003, but “as of today, the number is closer to 600, subject to fuller review and confirmation”, the IAEA said.

Several hundred additional incidents, reported in open sources but not confirmed by states, are also tracked in the IAEA database but not included in the confirmed statistics. Of the 540 confirmed cases as of December, 182 involved nuclear material, 330 radioactive material other than nuclear, 23 both nuclear and other radioactive material, and five other material.

The database includes reported incidents from the 80 participating Member States. Non-participating States are urged to join the Database in order to enhance the programme.

(gmcg/mb)