Markey-Clinton Legislation Would Reduce Risk by Incentivizing the Replacement Dangerous Radioactive Materials

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, today slammed a recommendation from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) dismissing efforts to ban or replace a potentially deadly radionuclide, cesium chloride. Though the National Academies of Sciences have labeled cesium chloride so dangerous that it should be phased-out completely, today’s NRC recommendation calls for a sole focus on improving the security of cesium chloride radiation sources.

"It seems painfully obvious to take dangerous nuclear materials out of circulation when there are safer, effective alternatives available," said Rep. Markey. "But the NRC is blind to this chance to protect the public. Cesium chloride is a prime example of a radioactive material that can and should be replaced as soon as possible. The best form of security is simply not having dirty bomb materials sitting around that need to be secured."

Cesium chloride is a highly radioactive isotope that appears in powdered or pellet form, making it highly portable and very dangerous. In 1987, scavengers in Brazil opened an abandoned canister containing 1400 Curies of powdered cesium and circulated its contents among the community, which resulted in 244 people contaminated, 54 people hospitalized, 19 people with radiation-induced skin burns, and 4 people dead.

Rep. Markey has coauthored legislation with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), H.R. 6816, The Nuclear Facility and Materials Security Act, which includes plans to phase-out cesium chloride as soon as possible where appropriate replacement technologies exist. The Markey-Clinton bill would halt the licensing of new cesium chloride radiation sources and create incentives for decommissioning and replacing cesium chloride where possible.

In February, the National Academies of Sciences issued a report, "Radiation Source Use and Replacement," which stated: "In view of the overall liabilities of radioactive cesium chloride, the committee judges that these sources should be replaced in the United States and, to the extent possible, elsewhere.  In most (and perhaps all) applications, radioactive cesium chloride can be replaced by (1) less hazardous forms of radioactive cesium, (2) radioactive cobalt, or (3) non-radionuclide alternatives."

"We know from Al Qaeda admissions and intelligence reports that terrorists are trying desperately to build dirty bombs or homemade nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the nuclear industry continue to act as if these threats are somehow merely theoretical. Radioactive sources play a critical role in medicine and industry, but we now know that there are new technologies to replace some of the most dangerous radioactive materials. I plan to continue my push to ban and replace dirty bomb materials like cesium chloride in the new Congress," added Rep. Markey.

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