Domestic Nuclear Detection Office If you encounter something suspicious follow your specific local protocols. Radiation Quick Reference Guide Recommend contacting your state fusion center. DNDO is available 24/7 to assist at 1-877-DNDO-JAC / 1-877-363-6522 JAC Information Line 202-254-7179 Email: [email protected] Nuclear Concerns/ Threats 1. Nuclear Weapon - a device that releases nuclear energy in an ex- Isotopes of Concern for use in RDDs - with common uses plosive manner. Uses Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) and/or 1. Cobalt-60 – cancer treatment, level/ Plutonium. density gauge, teletherapy, radiography, 2. Improvised Nuclear Device (IND) - a nuclear weapon fabricated food sterilization/irradiation, by a terrorist organization or rogue nation. brachytherapy 2. Iridium-192 – Radiography/non- destructive testing, flaw detection, brachy- therapy “cancer seed”, skin cancer Cobalt 60 sources Uranium “superficial” brachytherapy Plutonium 3. Uranium a. Uranium exists naturally in the earth’s crust. Of the different “isotopes” of uranium, U-235 is the one required to produce a Iridium sentinel and nuclear weapon. gamma camera b. Natural uranium contains a small amount of U-235 (<1%) which Cesium Seeds must be separated in complex extraction processes to create HEU. The predominant uranium isotope is U-238. 3. Cesium-137 - Gauge/level gauge, industrial radiography, brachyther- c. Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) refers to uranium usable in weap- apy/teletherapy, well logging/density gauges ons due to its enrichment in U-235. 4. Strontium-90 – Radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), fis- d. Approximately 25 kg of HEU is required for a nuclear weapon. sion product, industrial gauges, medical treatment e. Natural Uranium is processed from uranium ore and is often called yellowcake. f. Uranium Hexafluoride (UF6) is highly corrosive gas and a common form used in the uranium enrichment process. g. Depleted Uranium (DU) is the uranium remaining after removal of U-235. Often found in counter-weights, ammunition, and armor plating. Americium-241 radioactive Strontium from RTG source 5. Americium-241 – Check source/calibration source, smoke detector (ionization/type), thickness gauge, moisture/density gauge, neutron source, x-ray fluorescence, element of irra- Uranium reactor diated nuclear fuel Yellow Cake Depleted fuel pellets Uranium Shells 6. Radium-226 - Some medical uses, lumi- 4. Plutonium-239 nescent dials, industrial gauges, Naturally a. Generated from U-238 fuel in a nuclear reactor. Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM), b. Extracted through chemical processing. common in ores, rocks and minerals c. Approx. 8 kg required for weapon. 7. Plutonium-238 - Radioisotope ther- d. Neutron radiation present from the impu- moelectric generator (RTG) for NASA Radium minerals rity Pu-240. space missions, Soviet-era smoke detec- tors 5. Radioactive Dispersal Device (RDD) 8. Plutonium-239 – In addition to nuclear - any device that is intended to spread weapons, used as part of a plutonium- RDD Explosive Dispersal radioactive material. beryllium neutron source a. Explosive dispersal – radioactive material “mixed” with bomb 9. Californium-252 – Neutron source for b. Aerosol spray – crop duster or vent ducting moisture gauges, brachytherapy cancer treat- ment. Shielded with polyethylene/paraffin 6. Radiation Exposure Device – radiation shielding, boron/lithium/cadmium source left near people; if source large Empty californium capsules enough can cause illness or death Aerosol Spray Common Commodities with elevated levels of radiation 1. Aluminum/Aluminum Dross - Aluminum is NOT radioactive. 4. Trees, Cranberries, Blueberries, Huckleberries, Cowber- However, many materials that contain aluminum or ries, Bilberries , Bananas- Global fallout from nuclear weap- that are involved in the processing of aluminum ARE ons testing and Chernobyl have caused a world wide distribu- radioactive. Aluminum Dross is a grey course pow- tion radioactivity which may be readily absorbed by plants. In der byproduct of aluminum production Therefore; a addition to naturally occurring Potassium (K-40), plants may shipment of aluminum may read as containing: Po- also contain Cesium (Cs-137), and Radium (Ra-228). Since tassium (K-40), Thorium (Th-232), Uranium (U-238). trees can absorb these contaminants, wood products may be 2. Hall Cell Bath (HCB) - Solid, granular to powder in form; it is off- radioactive. white to gray in color; and odorless. Hall Cell Bath may contain Ura- 5. Potash - Pictured right. Potash is the com- nium (U-238), Thorium (Th-232) and Radium (Ra-226). mon term for potassium-based fertilizer. The 3. Ceramics/Granite/Quartz/Kitty Litter/Clay products - Clay and major source of radioactivity is Potassium rock based materials typically contain elevated levels of naturally – (K-40). occurring radioactivity such as Potassium (K-40), Thorium (Th-232) and Uranium (U-238) Medical Isotopes Medical Isotopes - When undergoing certain medical proce- 5. Molybdenum (Mo-209)—used to generate Tc–99m dures, radiological isotopes may be injected into the blood- 6. Phosphorus (P-32) - used to effectively control the inflammatory stream or implanted under the skin as pellets. Someone who has process of joint pain as alternative to surgery received a nuclear medical treatment in the past few weeks may 7. Palladium (Pd-103) - Primarily used in the treatment of prostate trigger a radiation alarm. The following are some common iso- cancer topes: 8. Rubidium (Rb-82) - used in cardiac imaging techniques 1. Gallium (Ga-67) - imaging of areas of inflammation 9. Samarium (Sm-153) - used as a pain treatment for bone cancer 2. Indium (In-111) - imaging of infection/white blood cell 10. Strontium (Sr-89) - used for bone pain relief for patients with formation prostate cancer 3. Iodine (I-123, I-124, I-125, I-131)— treatment of cancer, 11. Technetium (Tc-99m)— tracer to detect where a tumor may be in particular thyroid cancer, and other thyroid diseases located in the body 4. Lutetium (Lu-177) - treatment of colon cancer, bone can- 12. Thallium (Th-201)— imaging for heart related conditions cer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, lung cancer, and treatment 13. Xenon (Xe-133) —imaging of heart, lungs, brain and blood flow of prostate, breast, and lung tumors Radioactive Material Shipment Labeling and Placarding A placard on the outside of the vehicle is re- Package Labels quired when transporting radioactive material Radioactive White –I with a Yellow –III label Expect up to 0.5 mrem/hr at the pack- age surface Package Types Radioactive Yellow-II Type A package: Designed to survive nor- Expect >0.5 mrem/hr up to 50 mrem/hr mal transport conditions. Contain non life- at the package surface threatening amounts of radioactive material. Radioactive Yellow-III Expect >50 mrem/hr up to 200 mrem/hr Type B package: Designed to survive severe at the package surface accidents. Life threatening conditions may Millirem (mrem): a unit of radiation dose equal to one-thousandth exist only if contents are released or package of a rem (roentgen equivalent man). It measures the amount of dam- shielding fails. age to a human from ionizing radiation. The rate of dose received is measured in mrem/hr. If you encounter radioactive material - Using your Personal Radiation Detectors (PRDs), determine the For repeatable neutron alarms, contact the JAC immediately. Neutrons precise location of the source of the radiation, and visually inspect and are a primary indicator of weapon material and therefore warrant analy- interview all personnel associated with the alarm. sis. If the source of radiation cannot be authenticated, contact the JAC. - When using isotope identification devices (RIIDs) 1-877-DNDO-JAC (1 877-363-6522), or [email protected]. 1. Longer collection times (preferably 5 minutes) will improve the The person or vehicle may be released upon completion of the follow- analysis results. ing conditions: 2. For the unknown source(s) being screened at site, note exposure rate 1. Conclusive identification of the type and location of the radioactive (uR/h) if available, collection location and distance from source. source(s) as non-threat material (NORM, medical, etc.) 3. The RIID may fail to identify or may misidentify the isotopes pre- 2. Completion of all screening and assessments in accordance with sent. That is why it is important to understand common sources of local SOPs. radiation and have the capability to transmit data obtained to the 3. With guidance from Technical Reachback, Law Enforcement has JAC. Technical reachback will need a background, calibration and at concluded that no threat is present. least one unknown source spectrum identifying each in the file name. .