The nuclear threat: The black market
The weapons of mass destruction nuclear threat can be said to include two categories of radioactive materials: 1) Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) and other materials capable of producing a nuclear yield, and 2) other radioactive isotopes that might be used in a radiological dispersal device (RDD).
The seriousness of the threat is underscored by the number of seizures of weapons-usable material by law enforcement over the past decade. The International Atomic Energy Agency reports that there have been over 300 interdictions of radioactive material since 1993, 30 of these involving SNM.
SNM is the category of radioactive material used in nuclear weapons that includes plutonium, uranium enriched in Uranium-235, and Uranium-233. Extensive efforts are taken to ensure that the appropriate level of control is maintained during the transport and storage of SNM; however, there have been cases involving the seizure of this type of radioactive material. More than 16 kg of highly enriched uranium (HEU) and 400 g of plutonium have been seized. The European Police Office (EUROPOL) estimates that an additional 10 to 30 kg of HEU are currently available on the black market.
Handbook for Response to Suspect Radioactive Materials
U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
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