COMBATING RADIOLOGICAL TERRORISM – A MULTI-FACETED CHALLENGE

Abstract

In the twentieth century, radioactive sources have become extensively used in everyday life. These sources, in the hands of terror organizations, can become a threat to the security of civilized nations, causing severe disruption to normal life. One of the main challenges of the civilized world is to keep ahead of the terrorist organizations and take appropriate preventive measures in order to prevent and reduce to minimum the impact of their actions. In order to succeed, a joint and comprehensive effort has to be undertaken to address the scientific, technological, organizational, sociological, psychological and educational aspects of the radiological terrorism threat. In this paper, some of the main activities required for preventing radiological terror events, and the way in which a modular response plan can be prepared are discussed.