Nuclear forensics needs an urgent shot in the arm if it is to keep track of the growing black market in radioactive materials.
That鈥檚 the conclusion of a new report by the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which warns of a shrinking pool of expertise and resources. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, more than 1000 cases of illegal nuclear trafficking were discovered between 1993 and 2007.
鈥淭he personnel and equipment are not as well suited to deal with such events as they could be, and the pipeline to replace them is near empty,鈥� says the report鈥檚 lead author Michael May of Stanford University, California.
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Up to half of the US Department of Energy鈥檚 nuclear forensic scientists are expected to retire in the next 15 years.
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